new/old coffee table

I've added a new piece of furniture to my ever growing collection...

This one's a keeper, at least for now.

So wanna see????





Okay, here she is:

and before she looked like that, she looked like this:

I think it's an improvement.

I roughed up the piece and then used milk paint in snow white on the body. I heavily distressed it as well.  The jury is out on the top. I will either refinish it nicely or maintain a worn effect. I removed the drawer pull and have decided I like the piece better without anything so, yes, I know I have to fill the drawer holes.

*** THANKS so much to GAIL at MY REPURPOSED LIFE for featuring THIS dresser****

Linking to:
www.missmustardseed.com
http://www.redouxinteriors.com/
http://www.myrepurposedlife.net/

zig zags: part 2

After I finished with this zig zaggy number:

click HERE to read about this side table's transformation

I just kept on going...

I picked up this dresser at a thrift store:

Cute, but I knew I could make it cuter. Oh, and yes, I know we need new heat registers, it's on my list...

So here is my cuter version:

So here is what I did:

• primed the whole piece with an oil-based primer and let it cure for days and days
• used a few coats of pure white
• used charcoal paint to create the pattern
• distressed the piece like crazy
• sealed the whole thing with varathane
• added anthro owl knobs

If you like this piece, and you are local, then boy are you in luck. It's available at my booth (202) at the Old Strathcona Antique Mall.

I'm pretty sure there will be more zig zags in my future. But that's all for now folks. Hope you've had a wonderful week!

Linking to:
http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/ 
www.missmustardseed.com
http://www.redouxinteriors.com/
http://www.myrepurposedlife.net/
http://www.jenniferrizzo.com/ 
http://www.itsoverflowing.com/
http://elizabethandco.blogspot.ca/
http://www.ifitsnotbaroquedesignblog.blogspot.ca/
http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net
 

zig zags part 1

remember this side table?

click HERE to read about this table's transformation

Well, I found its twin a while ago and decided to do a little something different this time:

It's official. I am the last one to the chevron party. I am so late to this party, in fact, that I'm still calling chevron zig zags (wait does that actually make me early to the party?). Oh how I love you zig zags...

Oh how I hope that someone else feels the same way, because this baby just took up residence in my booth (#202) at the Old Strathcona Antique Mall.

So do you love the zig zag, or are you over it? Oh and hold onto your socks, cause this chevron party isn't over. There's more to come...

Linking to:
http://www.itsoverflowing.com/
cowgirl up @ white lace cottage
http://elizabethandco.blogspot.ca/
http://www.ifitsnotbaroquedesignblog.blogspot.ca/
http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net
http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/ 
www.missmustardseed.com
http://www.redouxinteriors.com/
http://www.myrepurposedlife.net/
http://www.jenniferrizzo.com/ 

kitchen flop?

So some people like to do things the hard way, take the road less traveled, blah, blah, blah; and some people like to do things the easy way - I believe my nurses in the hospital called it the "epidural highway." Easy way, you had me at easy... And yes I took the epidural highway too... was that an over-share?

Anyway, after months of debating (secretly of course - I didn't want to get the hubby in a panic that another change was a in the air), I put out a blog post about my kitchen, which you can read here, and then a few days later I pulled out my paint brush. Did I go with my gut? No. Did I go with popular opinion? No. Did I do what was easiest and could be accomplished in about an hour? Yep.

Do I regret it? I don't know.

You tell me. Opinions around here have been vocal and varied.

I am standing here with my paint brush ready to tackle this project again... What do you think? Repaint the wall and uppers white, to achieve this look:

Thomas Smythe

OR

Stick with this:

I just had to show off my 1965 range, isn't she a beaut? Looks like I need to scrub the inside a bit...

Oh and these pictures are deceiving, in real life my counter tops are worse than they appear  in these pics. They are actually cream/light tan laminate, they are not in the best shape and have to stay...

So with that in mind... Let me know, what would you do???? Oh and don't tell my hubby that this is happening - I would hate to ruin another surprise, he loves them so...

If you wanna see the full transformation you can click here, but I thought I would throw another pic at you, it was one of my "inspiration choices" that lead me to the solid dark grey:

via house and home

Oh and here is my kitchen after the 1st change (2 years ago) before I decided that the wall and uppers needed to be seamless:

Linking to:
http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.ca/ 
http://www.craftytexasgirls.com 
http://elizabethandco.blogspot.ca/ 
http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/ 
http://www.ifitsnotbaroquedesignblog.blogspot.ca/ 
http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.ca/ 
http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/

bookish side table

Very rarely will I do custom furniture painting. I have to know the person really well and they have to know my work really well, otherwise I am not really into it. Why, you ask, well because I am a wimp and I find it too stressful. Lets be clear it's not I can't pay the mortgage stressful, it's more about not being able to relax and enjoy the process and let things just happen. I spend my time worrying whether the person will like it, whether we both had the same vision for the piece, I stress over every detail, I over think things and drive myself crazy - over a piece of furniture - which is, lets face it, a little crazy. So I just steer clear of the whole issue by picking and selling my own pieces.

However, when my aunt called me up and said she had a bunch of tables she would like me to "do something with" I jumped at the chance. You see my aunt is a pretty cool lady, I have a pretty good idea of whet she would like and she gives a pretty fair time line (usually she gives me the "whenever you get around to it" time line, which works perfectly for me).

I just finished one of her tables and I have to say, I am kinda in love...

In true me fashion I did not take a before pic, but picture brown, all brown. It was nice enough, but just not special. I think it is special now and hope she thinks so too...

I prepped the table by giving it a good sanding and then made up some chalk paint and painted the whole thing black. After letting it dry I taped off and painted some stripes. Then I distressed everything - I really went to town on this piece. Finally, I painted the dark red pin stripes on the grey stripes and very lightly distressed them - I did not want the red to turn pink! My last step was sealing it with wax. I love the finish that wax gives painted wood.

So what about you, what are your thoughts about custom orders, am I the only one who feels this way???

Linking to:
http://www.itsoverflowing.com
http://diyshowoff.com 
http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.ca/
http://www.craftytexasgirls.com
http://elizabethandco.blogspot.ca/
http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/
http://missmustardseed.com 
http://www.jenniferrizzo.com 
http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/ 

drop leaf pedestal

There are a lot of half finished projects around here right now. One thing I have managed to check off my list is a little pedestal table, and I have to say I am really loving it.

It pretty petite but it has a lovely shape and drop leaf sides. Oh and being solid maple doesn't hurt either.

 

I used milk paint, in buttermilk, painted a swiss cross on the top (a favorite move of mine) and then heavily distressed it.

Love how the milk paint worked its magic.  I sealed it all up and brought it into my space at the old strathcona antique mall, booth 202. 

I am hoping to be able to show some of my other projects to you soon, I just have to get them done...

Thanks so much to Gail at my repurposed life for featuring my fleur de lis table!

Linking to:

http://www.itsoverflowing.com

http://diyshowoff.com
http://www.craftytexasgirls.com
http://missmustardseed.com

*this table is now sold...