A Custom Window

Has it really been almost a month since I last posted anything?  Where has an entire month gone!?  Christmas is just five days away,  Gulp....

My only excuse is I've been very busy, you know how it is this time of the year.  I had a few custom jobs to do & that's what I want to share with you today.  

My sister called me a few weeks ago & wanted to know if I had any ideas or anything special she could give for a Christmas gift to one of her clients.  We discussed a few ideas & decided on a window.  I had several to choose from but they were all to big.  The one that would work perfectly was already painted. This is what it looked like before I started:

It's actually an old cabinet door.  It was in my booth all summer & I had pulled it out to re-paint it anyway.  It's the first time I have stripped any of my graphics & I have to say it was painful to do.

After I scrapped the graphic off & sanded the coral paint I wiped it all down & started over.

I painted the wood black first, then painted two coats of white.  Before I painted on the white I rubbed a little Vaseline on the edges, so it would distress nice & chippy.

Next it was time for the graphic.  You can read my tutorial on how I put the graphics on the glass here.  It's a tedious process but so worth it.

This was a quote the client had on a wall in their home already, but they are moving & my sister thought they would love to have it in their new home.  

Now it was time to make the special gift wrap.  I sewed a "slip cover" for it out of drop cloth.  I tore it so it would have frayed edges.  I have to admit, I am not a seamstress.  Simply sewing up the two sides took me forever!!  I am sewing machine illiterate.

Once I finally had the sides sewn up I added the graphics.

Made the matching ribbon, hand stamped & so perfectly shabby...

All wrapped up....

And here it is in it's new home.  They loved it.  I think I like this version better too.

 Thanks for stopping by & don't forget to check us out on Facebook. I hope everyone has a safe & very Merry Christmas. 

Cornbread Yellow Cabinet

A couple of weeks ago I went to our local flea market at Collette's Antique Mall,  I found a couple of nice things on that beautiful day.  The captain's desk I showed you last week, you can see it here.  I also bought this cute little cabinet.

It's child size & had seen better days.   It looked like it had been used as a display at some point,  there was a sign still stuck to it. There was also a drawer missing.

We had envisioned using chicken wire somehow inside the drawer opening but, that proved to be impossible.  We went with the easy fix, a false drawer front.  So much easier & in the end looked so much better.....

This is what we came up with. We painted it with  "The Vintage Farmhouse" chalk paint in "Cornbread" Yellow.  Then to break it up we added white to the false front & top.  It still needed a little something, so I added a couple of sweet Chickadee's on a Wire.

Here's a close up:

Soooooooo Cute!

Some little girl will be in Shabby Chic heaven with this.  I could even see it in a Bathroom or Entry way.

Here it is in our Booth:

Sorry for the fuzzy picture.  I had to take it with my phone & had a little trouble keeping a steady hand.  It gives you a better idea of the scale of this cabinet. It's small but so cute.  I love the pop of color it added to the booth.

Now we are working on Holiday pieces.  It won't be long before we are decorating the booth for Christmas. YIKES!!!!

Now that I've scared the dickens out of you, make sure you check us out on Facebook.  Thanks for stopping by.  Dee

Chippy Blue Dresser

Hope you all are settling in to the back to school routine. I for one am thoroughly enjoying it. It's amazing how much more I can accomplish once school starts.

My Mom surprised me with the cutest little dresser she picked up one day in her many travels.  She warned me it was in rough shape.

This poor little thing was so dry that two of the drawers had big cracks in them & it was also cracked on one side.  The paint was also cracked & totally chipping.  

There were crayon scribbles all over on it.

You can see in this picture the crack on the side & how dry it was.

We decided to start by sanding off the chipping paint.  So my ever patient Husband took the palm sander to her.   Once she was sanded & smooth, she didn't look so bad.  

She has this amazing aged patina. With all my faux finish & painting knowledge, I doubt I could duplicate this beautiful patina.

I decided to just clear wax her.  It would be a sin to strip & paint this little beauty.

Here she is with her new polished look.

 I just love the different depths of color & texture.  And the size is perfect for a bathroom, dining room or guest bedroom.

This is by far the chippiest piece I've ever done.

Which is probably why I love it so much.

She shined up beautiful.......

She's not perfect, one of her drawers is wonky, but their all tongue & groove. 

This little beauty is going right onto my booth.  Wish we could keep her because both me & my Husband just love it, but alas we have no room for her.  I'm sure someone will love her with all her wear & imperfections.  

Don't forget to check us out on Facebook to see what's happening. Thanks for stopping by & a have a great day!  Dee