Cycling Coffee Table

Can you believe it's Memorial Day Weekend already?  Where does the time go?  It seems like it went from winter to summer in the blink of an eye.  I for one am happy to see the winter finally end. Bring on the Sunshine & long warm days!!!

A few months ago I seen the most awesome graphic from The Graphics Fairy.  Usually the piece of furniture gives me the inspiration for the graphic, but not this time. The graphic totally inspired the type of furniture, size & color choice.

How awesome is that!??

I found the perfect coffee table to show off this super awesome graphic.  I painted the base Paris Grey & the top in Old White.  Now the fun was about to begin.  I used my overhead projector to transfer the graphic:

Using my paint pens & a very steady hand, I carefully painted it on.  This took me three hours but I'd say it was well worth it.

I really had to focus when I got to the wheels.

I painted a black band on the edge....

Sprayed the hardware black, the clear waxed the whole thing.

Here it is in my booth.  I know it's not for everyone & it's kind of masculine, but to me, it's beautiful.  

Cozumel, the Color

I love Cozumel.....

 Warm tropical breezes...

The coral reefs..... 

The beautiful Aqua blue warm ocean...

Don't you just want to go there & stay forever?

Someday I hope to visit, but until then I will settle for using my new favorite color.  You guessed it, "Cozumel".  It's a color by Clark & Kensington from Ace Hardware & I love it!

This is the first piece I painted in this color:

I was in love after the first coat....

We happened to have a twin bed that went nicely with the table so we painted it the same color.....

I added a little bling, this is actually a metallic paint called "Oyster  Pearl". It didn't photograph very well, but looks very sparkly in person.

Super cute together, don't you think?

I just couldn't wait to use this color again, so I had an old phone table that needed a new look.  Does anyone even use a phone table anymore?

I found the perfect retro graphic at my favorite source The Graphics Fairy. 

Then I added a little modern spin to it:

What teenage girl wouldn't love this?

What would you use this cute phone table for?

Cozumel... someday I hope to see it. For now I will just enjoy the color.  Thanks for stopping by,  Dee

Green Le Jardin Table

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend, mine went by way to fast. I wish I could find a way to squeeze a few more hours into the weekend.

Last month my son came home with a surprise for me.  It was garbage day in our neighborhood & he scored a roadside treasure. He even had the neighbor kids help him carry it on his way home from the bus stop. I am so proud, I taught him well.

It was a tall table with a butcher block top.  I think it was left out in the rain because the top was badly warped. You can really tell in this picture. I took this picture after we replaced the top. 

I had an old kitchen cabinet door (another roadside treasure) that fit perfectly for the replacement.  It was a few inches bigger which made the table top work area more versatile.

I like the scale of the new top.

I filled the holes with wood putty where the hardware went, after securing the top to the base.  Now I was ready for paint.

I am trying to expand my color pallet, so I was looking for a "Spring" color.  Green says "Spring" to me.

 I choose a color called "Tree Frog". It's from Ace Hardware, their new Clark & Kensington's primer & paint in one.   I love using this paint when I make my own Chalk paint. The flat interior latex paint works perfectly when turned into chalk paint.

I had seen the perfect graphic for this project a couple of months ago & couldn't wait to use it. So I headed over to The Graphics Fairy & created the words in Publisher. Here is a picture of the graphics after I transferred them on the top.

I used my overhead projector then took some white chalk to draw in the images.

I like to use the Elmer's paint pens for white graphics. I traced them in, then used white paint & a small brush to fill the words in.

I had intended to paint the Asian flower in solid but after I outlined it, I liked the way it looked.  A light distressing, two coats of clear wax & Voila!

I have to admit, this color was once again waaay out of my comfort zone. It felt a little "Kemit the frog" green at first. After I put the graphics on it, I liked it. It sort of grew on me.

It's counter top height so you could easily pull a stool up to it & use it for a desk, or put it in a kitchen for a work station or maybe a coffee station. 

Not bad for a roadside treasure.  Does it make you think of Spring? What would you use this table for?

Check us out on Facebook get a peek of what we're up to. Thank you so much for stopping by. Have a great week! Dee

Another Busy Week

I hope you all are having a wonderful week.  I know we have been very busy around here trying to get things done before the back to school rush overwhelms us.  It seems like the minute the kids go back to school the weather changes & the days get way shorter.

Anyway, here is what we have been up to this past week. We decided to try some new color combos.  I liked Coco with Old White this week so you will see a few pieces in that scheme in my next few posts.  I do not have a before picture of this coffee table, but it was in rough shape. It was given to us by a friend who found it in a dumpster at an apartment complex he was working at (Thanks Don!). It has a real leather top, but it had seen better days.

I love this color combination, so warm.

Nice & Shabby....

Here's a nice closeup of the top.  I like how the leather top almost gives it a padded look.  Of course I found the perfect graphic at The Graphics Fairy.   This is one of my favorite graphics & I have used it several times now. You first seen it here in my very first post.

We also painted a lot of Pure White:

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The cutest little Shabby White Pedestal Mirror...

A nice side table. This was actually a redo, here is what it looked like the first time I painted it:

Yellow is like red, it's a hard sell for some reason. So we repainted it Pure White & added a stencil & a knob we picked up at Hobby Lobby.

Then we painted a chair to match.....

The front....

& the back... 

So it's been another busy week. Next week I'll show you some more pieces we painted in that beautiful Old Ochre/Coco combo. If you are interested in any of these pieces you can find them at Sassy Fabrics (V Trading) in Grand Blanc, MI. Thanks for visiting.  I hope you all have a great weekend!  Dee

Finally Primer Red!

A couple of week's ago I finally joined the band wagon & tried Primer Red. I had to see for myself what all the hoopla was about. I have been a little skeptical about red because in my experience it's a hard sell.  I have attempted red in the past, I did a "Swiss" dresser, here, after trying to sell it in three different places I ended up keeping it for our game room (not that it's a bad thing). I'm just saying not everyone likes red. Here's a sneak peek at my two Primer Red projects:

The first picture is of the mirror that goes to an awesome Empire style dresser. I can't believe it, I do not have a before picture of this project. I am so mad at myself, I have had this piece in my garage for almost a year now. On to the after pictures:

Anyway, I like this red much better then the Swiss red.

After two coats of Primer Red, sanding/distressing I was ready for graphics. I found just what I needed from The Graphics Fairy.  I added a cute little stencil, gave it two coats of clear wax, & some new knobs from Hobby Lobby.

I'm not sure if you can tell, but I used the stencil in an all over pattern on the mirror. They look really cool when they are close together.

Now onto the second project: Here is the before.

This little cabinet needed some TLC. The doors were impossible to open & it was missing a back which made it very rickety. After an afternoon of sanding, greasing & attaching a back, this little cabinet was ready for paint. We decided to stain the top, not really my territory, but I was willing to give it a try. We just sanded the top instead of stripping it, so when it was stained we got a lot of different color tones in the wood.

I kind of liked it! It gave it a rustic look. I added a graphic, painted the body with two coats of paint, a coat of clear & a coat of dark waxes. I love how rich the color turns when you add the dark wax.

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This is such a nice sized little cabinet, perfect for an entry room or bathroom, even an end table. My husband kept calling it the "Mini bar for the man cave."

I like Primer Red & will be using it again in the future I'm sure. Have you tried a new color lately?

If you are interested in either of these pieces,they are both available at Sassy Fabrics (V Trading) in Grand Blanc , MI. If you live in my area & you have an old piece of furniture that you would like to have painted, just shoot me an email & I'll get back to you. Thanks for visiting & have a great day! 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