So Much Potential

Hello everyone, I hope you are all happily exhausted from painting/crafting like I am right now. I am trying to get some autumn smalls done for my booth. I think they take as much time as a full size piece of furniture. Plus I am flying solo for a little while. Although the hubby did take pity on me  help me out & painted a chair for me & waxed a few pieces ,as I was getting to grumpy to "Keep Calm & Carry On!".

A couple of weeks ago we were returning home from our weekly delivery & stumbled upon a roadside treasure. I don't know about you, but when my Mom & I travel we never take the same route there as we do home.  You never know what kind of treasures are waiting to be saved on the ride home. This particular day we found a few treasures.  Here is one of them:

It is big & solid wood which mean it's heavy. I loved the big top on it. It just had so much potential. I knew once I had it painted, I would have a nice large space for a very cool graphic. We painted it Old White, now I had a blank canvas.

I went to my favorite site for graphics, The Graphics Fairy. I have used this  graphic a few times on cushion covers for chairs. I love vintage wine graphics (maybe because I love wine) & this time I wanted to give it a punch of color.   Here is the graphic:



Before wax. 

 

Close up of the grapes.



 Using my overhead projector, I painted in the words & the outline of the grapes first with a black paint pen. I wanted the grapes to look like a watercolor painting so I took my time painting them in. I have painted grapes several times before, so this was like riding a bike. It felt good to do some actual artistic work again.



I used Paris Grey for the "Specialite" & craft paint for the grapes. After getting the graphic painted on, I applied a coat of ASCP clear wax, then I did a generous coat of dark wax. I just love the way the dark wax added so much depth.  It just adds the vintage look I was going for.

 

After wax.



Here is a picture of the whole table. 

    

 

I just love the way this one came out.  It has that cottage shabby chic look with a french twist.  



Available at Sassy Fabrics in Grand Blanc, MI



So functional with the large drawer & the storage underneath.  Perfect for a large family room or a Great Room.  Can you believe what people throw out?  I'm amazed every week. 

Have you had any roadside treasures lately, I'd love to hear about it. Thanks for visiting & have a great weekend!  Dee



Color of the week: Duck Egg Blue

Lately it seems like every week we are painting several pieces at a time in one color. Three weeks ago it was black, two weeks ago it was white & last week it was my all time favorite Duck Egg Blue.

We painted three large pieces in this beautiful color. Let me start with the one that was most challenging:

This was the sneak peek I teased you with last week. Here is what it looked like when I bought it off Craig's List:

This little cutie was in pieces, the man I bought it from had started to restore it & then stopped. So I got it for a song but had to figure it out like a puzzle. The drawer needed a new bottom & new drawer glides. The glass was original but very discolored & we only had about half of the cool wood appliques. Here is the puzzle all put together:

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We painted the body DIY Chalk paint in Duck Egg Blue, the shelves are in Paris Grey & the appliques are in Old White. We used this beautiful toile contact paper on the inside & in the drawer & polished up the original hardware. I wanted to do something different with the door since the glass was in rough shape. We decided to try the chicken wire, I sprayed it black & nailed it in place of the glass. After two coats of ASCP clear wax it was complete. On to the next piece:

This is what I teased you with last week. Here is how this darling vanity looked before:

My mom found it at a garage sale & it was the score of the week! Here is my little assistant giving me a hand. All this vanity needed was a new chain for the mirror. Here is how it looked after:

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I swear this color would make anything look better....

Once again I used one of my favorite graphics from The Graphics Fairy.  We lined the inside with the same toile contact paper & used the original hardware. Gave it two coats a ASCP clear wax & buffed to perfection!

Now last but not least: last weeks teaser:

Here is the before:

This waterfall vanity was a roadside treasure! It was given to me by my new favorite person, Paul.  Thank you Paul!  It was missing the mirror & all the hardware. Not perfect but still had potential. We added some trim on the back to fill the void where the mirror went & filled the holes on the drawers.

Here is the after:

Super cute with the new color & some fancy new bling.....

You would never even know there used to be a mirror there. My Mom had a stool that matched perfectly, it also got a face lift. Here is the graphic I chose for it. Guess where from? You got it The Graphics Fairy.

Sigh...... Can you believe what people throw out?

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Here they are together. A perfect pair.

Fortunately we are not the only ones that like Duck Egg Blue, we took these three pieces to Karen at Sassy Fabrics (V Trading) in Grand Blanc, Mi & the chicken wire cabinet & the water fall vanity set sold right away.  

Next week I think we'll try something different, maybe red. Thanks for visiting & have a great week!  Dee



Americana Bench

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY EVERYONE!

I've been off on vacation for the last couple of weeks & now it's time to get back to work.

If you follow my blog you know I have these benches:

I have painted six of these in the last year. Five of them have all been French. You can see one here & here.  This is the only one I painted Americana:

I start out with two coats of Annie Sloan's Old White:

Now I have a blank canvas. Then I decide on the graphic & fabric.  The flag was easy to paint in. I started with the blue square. First, I cut star shapes out of contact paper, then I stuck them in place.  I used craft paint for the red & blue. Painted in the square right over the stars, then painted in the red stripes.  Once it was dry, I peeled the stars & there you have it!  An Americana Bench!  I distressed, clear & dark waxed it, & buffed to perfection.  The fabric I choose was a navy blue & white Ticking material.  

Here it is in my booth:

I have since moved it to Sassy Fabrics (V Trading) in Grand Blanc, Mi.

Sold to Kid Rock

I have one of these beautiful benches left. How would you paint it? I would love to hear your ideas. I wish everyone a Happy & safe holiday. Thanks for visiting.  Dee



Custom Chairs

A couple of weeks ago, Emily from Pigeon in the Parlor, asked us to look at some chairs she wanted us to paint. She had six chairs with the needle point seat covers, two captains & four side chairs. I told her to bring one in & we would take a look at it. Of course the only before picture I have is after we striped the chair down to the springs right before painting.

This is one of the Captains chairs.  We started with one of the side chairs that had the most salvageable seat cover. Emily wanted them painted Annie Sloan's Old White with the dark wax on the details. When we delivered the first chair we came home with the other five. Emily really hoped we could salvage a few of the needle point seats, but after we got them all home & looked them over really good, we were only able to save one out of the five.  So we painted out the one just like the previous needle point chair, now Emily had a matching pair.

Now we had our work cut out for us. The remaining four were in sad shape. The cushions were completely dry rotted inside. We had to strip them down to the springs & start over. Here they are all painted, waxed & ready for upholstery:

This was the easy part.

I just love how that dark wax enhances the detail.

Beautiful distressing....

Graceful curvy arms.... & just look at those industrial strength springs!  These are very well made chairs. They just don't make them like this anymore.

Now we were ready to upholster. Emily wanted drop cloth seat covers with different graphics on them. I found four different graphics from the Graphics Fairy. My Mom & I really learned a lot on this project. We thought we could use the old seat cover as a template for the new covers. NOT!!  They were so stretched out & we put on 2" foam, so needless to say the first covers were to small!

So we made new ones, big & square.  We cut where it needed it & stapled away.  This is defiantly a two person job.  Here is how they looked when we were finished:

We added nail head around the legs & arms....

I really need to make time to take better pictures. My Mom took these with her phone, which is fine, but I had a problem editing them. You get the idea..



Emily was very happy with these chairs. She now had a pair with the original needle point seats & four matching with the new drop cloth seat covers.

We grouped them with my Medallion table.  I wasn't sure how they would look together, but it looked pretty good.  Naturally I forgot to get a picture of them together. I really need to do better......

If you would like to see these chairs, they are for sale at Pigeon in the Parlor in Holly, Mi.  If you live in my area, & have a need for some custom furniture painting, feel free to contact us.  I love to read your comments.  Thanks for visiting & have a great day!  Dee



Queen Anne Nesting Tables

We are one week into the summer & I am already in need of a vacation. My mom & I have been working like crazy for the past week so I can go on vacation! Two weeks ago the family & I went to Midlands Antique Fair. This event happens three times in the summer & it is HUGE!

I was able to find a few smalls, after covering half the place I found these:

A set of perfectly French nesting tables with the sexy Queen Anne legs. On the largest table there are drawer pulls, but they're not drawers, they are handles so you can pick them up all at the same time. How cool is that!!?  They have leather tops & the smallest one was painted a high gloss cream. The color wasn't so bad, but the glossy finish had to go.

I gave them two coats of Annie Sloan's Old White & they were ready for graphics. This piece needed something feminine.

I just love how they came out!

On the first one I added a hand painted rose with the script.

The second one....

The third one...



These Queen Anne Nesting tables are for sale at Sassy Fabrics (V Trading) in Grand Blanc, Mi. Let me know what you think, I love reading your comments. Thanks for visiting & have a great day!  Dee

French Olive Side Table

This past spring, during the freak warm spell that gave us eighty degree weather in March, I found the cutest little side table at Collette's Vintage & Antique Mall's first Flea market.

It was so cute with it's little curved legs & it was just the right size to go any where. Perfect for a bedside table, or maybe next to the sofa or even in a guest bedroom.

I knew I had to have it the minute I seen it.  After alittle haggling I happily took it home with me.  Like I mentioned earlier, the weather was so warm for March.  We all had spring fever.  So I decided to paint this little cutie a nice spring green.

I took the last of my ASCP in "Olive" & added "Old White" to it & voila!  The perfect shade of spring green. Then I painted the rest in Old White. A funny thing about old furniture, you never know what is going to rise to the surface until your first coat dries.  This piece gave me fits, I kept getting a pinkish bleed leeching to the surface. I tried primer, then I tried Kilz (you know the "Stain blocking primer" NOT!).  Then I remembered reading somewhere that if you paint over the stain with flat varnish, let it dry, & paint again the varnish will seal in the bleed. Well, it totally works!!!  What a relieve.  That little problem was ruining the fun of painting. 

With that problem solved, I polished up the original hardware. Added a nice stencil I found at Hobby Lobby (love that place by the way). Did a couple of coats of clear wax & buffed to perfection.

Here is a close up of the top.

This little cutie is now available at Collette's Antique Mall in Burton, Mi.  Thanks for visiting, & have a great day!  Dee

Happy Day!

It has been a beautiful week here in Michigan. Wednesdays are delivery day for us & last Wednesday after our Grand Blanc delivery my Mom & I decided to drive into Historic Holly's Battle Alley & check out the shops there. This area is famous for their antique & shabby chic shops. We stumbled upon one of the cutest little shops called "Pigeon in the Parlour".  

 

They have vintage clothes, lots of shabby chic furnishings, beautiful artwork from local artist, painted furniture, handmade soaps & last but not least Annie Sloan Chalk Paint!!!! 

I couldn't believe my eyes.  There are only three stocklist in the state of Michigan!  Now the fourth one is right in my area, only 20 minutes away!  I walked right past the paint display & didn't even see it because I was so engrossed in trying to see all the amazing things in this store. I made it all the way upstairs before I seen a couple cans of ASCP displayed on a table.  I made a bee line to the owner to find out why she was displaying ASCP??

The owners Emily & Ray Rath are the nicest people.  Emily explained that she literally just started carrying Annie Sloan & was so surprised at how many local artist she was meeting.  She asked me how I knew so much about this fabulous paint.  After a few minutes of excited conversation & showing her a few pictures of some of my work (thanks to my Mom's cool phone, I so need to get me one of those!), Emily was begging me to bring in some of my stuff to sell in her shop.  I just happened to have a few shabby french pieces that we could start with, so this is what we delivered to Pigeon in the Parlor this Wednesday:

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This very shabby french bench!

Here is a close up of the graphic from The Graphics Fairy.

The nice graphic on the drop cloth cushion, hand painted & stenciled.

Available at Collete's Vintage & Antique Mall in Burton, MI

  

I also brought this little beauty, not realizing the two pieces have the same graphic.  You can read about this table here.

Emily was happy to have this french sign I made out of a foot board from a twin bed. You can read about it here.

So Wednesday was a Happy Day!  I found a new shop to sell my pieces in & I found a stocklist for ASCP & I made a couple of new friends!

If you are ever in the Holly area, stop in & say Hi to Emily & Ray. The Pigeon in the Parlor is at 110 S. Saginaw St. in Holly, MI.  They have a beautiful store filled with handmade treasures.

I hope everyone has a nice Holiday weekend!  Thanks for visiting,  Dee