Working With a Small Dining Area

Living in a house with limited kitchen/dining room space has posed a problem for our family of 6.  Our home was built in the 60's, and lacked a formal dining room.  Our particular floor plan is perfect for us with 5 bedrooms and 2 baths and with a square footage of 1,800 square feet, the dining room was put on the back burner I guess.  So what we have is a eat in kitchen which leads to the back yard. Granted our back yard is large and also serves as our entertaining area, we needed to be creative in making space for the dining room table.

Before, we had a long rectangular farmhouse table (second-hand craigslist find) which I also refurbished, with a 4 chairs and a bench.  We used it for a while, but it just felt to big for the space, so out it went to the covered patio where we enjoy it on beautiful California evenings!

Now I have always loved the look and tone of round tables.  They bring family closer at dinner time, with everyone gathered around facing each other. This particular table, I also found 2nd hand but needed to be spruced up. It was a dark cherry finish.  With a simple paint and wax technique, it was transformed into a set we absolutely love and that gives us much more room!

Here it is, our beautiful 7 piece dining room set (without the high price tag too!) featuring a round solid antique craftsman style table that has been refinished in a sun drenched weathered oak. It seats six comfortably but does include 2 leaves for more seating.

The 4 cafe style wooden chairs and 2 end parlor chairs have also been refurbished in weathered oak and beautifully complete this set.

 

 

Other summer pieces I had fun with this summer!

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Pretty in Pink Vintage Dresser 

Very sweet Solid Wood Vintage Dresser in a soft pink with delicate whimsical hand painted design on drawer fronts. Distressed lightly for a time loved appeal. Original wooden wheels, papered drawers and porcelain knobs give it that special touch!

 

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Vintage Dresser/ Chest of drawers featuring a freshly refinished top and drawers in dark walnut stain with body painted in soft neutral grey/beige.

Original wooden wheels, glass knobs and slight distressing make for a classic a time worn gem!

  

 

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Vintage Solid Wood Dresser or Buffet with mirror in a simulated weathered rustic wood finish.

Would be beautiful used as a bathroom vanity as well!

Original hardware refinished in a dark steel finish.

 

 

True Love

I'm a true romance fanatic, so when this husband and new daddy wanted to surprise his wife with special piece just for her, I was thrilled! The story behind this project was so sweet. This gentleman's wife's family owned a grocery store in St. Louis in the 40's and it meant a lot to her. The name of the store was Ebert's Market and they would deliver groceries and such right to your door! He wanted me to put the logo from the market on a dresser or buffet. Oh, I forgot to mention that this couple also bought my last farmhouse table set! 

Here's some shots of that lovely...

We refinished the oak top in a dark walnut stain and painted the bottom half of in Chalk Paint® Decorative paint by Annie Sloan in a mix of CoCo and Old White.

And here is the very cool delivery truck...

I decided the color needed to coordinate yet stand out in their kitchen alongside their new farm table. One of my favorite colors to get this attention seeking job done is Antibes, another Chalk Paint® Color.  

After stripping, sanding and staining the top of this 1940's dresser, I used the an image transfer gel printed straight from my Word program trying to match the font as much as possible. I did need to get a reverse laser copy make to the size. After distressing a bit I used dark wax to tone down and give the piece a time worn patina. 

The day he brought her to pick up the farm table and chairs, he had me put a blanket over this piece and pull it off to SURPRISE her, so sweet! 

She of course was touched by the surprise and absolutely fell in love with it. 

What a romantic gesture!

I'll never forget that project, it was just as special for me to create as it was for a beloved wife and mom to receive.

End of 2013's favorite transformations!

As we come to a close of 2013, I thought it would be fun to share with you a few of my favorite refurbishments from the last couple months. 

Let's start with this midcentury dresser that was brought to me by a client who had previously bought this already painted black with the underneath being white. He and his wife didn't care for the whole look of the white coming through and didn't like the hardware in that color. When things are painted in a white color first, it is sometimes difficult to give it a distressed look using a darker color on top because the white is such a bold difference. There just isn't a natural flow between the two.

For these particular clients, I had done work for before when I painted their 2 tall book cases for their living room. I used Miss Mustard Seed's milk paint in Typewriter (black) on those bookcases and they turned out beautifully. So the clients had asked to make this piece coordinate with that piece. I didn't want to try to paint it yet another color and then distress as I was afraid the white would show through given it the same unwanted look. 

So this is what I did. I painted the entire piece in Typewriter, the same color I did the bookcases. 

Before I go any further, you can see that there has been some modifications done to the dresser. The owner wanted to use this as an entertainment center, and so took out a few of the drawers and added a shelf to put entertainment components in. This is a great way to utilize the pieces you have around your house for other uses.

Now back to the story. After painting the entire dresser in the Typewriter milk paint I then lightly sanded the top to allow some of the woodgrain to come through for my next step. I used Miss Mustard Seeds white wax to give it a dimensional look. By spraying the original hardware with an oil rubbed bronze, I saved my clients money and allowed  them to keep the hardware which they did like. Hemp oil was used over the body of the dresser to seal in the milk paint. No need to seal the top with the hemp oil as the white wax serves as a sealant.

I was very pleased with the results as well as the client!

Next up is an antique secretary cabinet. I was very drawn to this piece as I think it is so unique. This client had originally bought a buffet that I had in our shop painted in Miss mustard seeds milk paint Kitchen Scale, a pretty teal. She wanted this piece to coordinate with that, so we decided to paint the outside Chalk Paint®decorative paints by Annie Sloan. We used Old White which is a bit of an off white for the outside and the Kitchen Scale  for the inside.

This was a little bit more of a task than I had anticipated. It was so difficult to get in the letter box on the inside of the secretary, so I had to remove that part and paint it separately. After painting it, I attached it once again and sealed the milk paint with hemp oil. I then distressed the outside around the edges and sealed it with a mix of clear and dark waxes which really warms up the look of the Old White. Again with the spraying of the original hardware again with oil rubbed bronze, can you tell it's my favorite! It never ceases to amaze me how such bright colors can bring such character and life back to a tired old piece.

And below is another perfect example of a very tired old piece. Referred to as a hot mess by the owner, which really cracked me up, it needed much repair so I called in my handy husband. When he had finished, I used Chalk Paint® in old white once again only this time on the inside of the cabinet. For the outside I chose a mixture of Chalk Paint® In Provence, Florence, and graphite. I added some highlights around the edges with Old White and drew a faux trim along drawers. The whole piece is sealed with clear wax. This client was just hoping for a little improvement on her hot mess, but I think she was surprised to get a complete transformation!

And now for a few honorable mentions...

This mid century the dresser was one of many that I had done for a client whose grandmother passed away and she inherited several heirloom pieces. Although they were outdated they were and beautiful salad condition.

For the dresser above, I used Chalk Paint®decorative paints and in old white and Antoinette, a pretty soft pink. I switched out the original outdated hardware for antique glass knobs giving it a special princess feel which was perfect as it was going into a sweet eight year old girls room!

This small, blonde chest of drawers was in much need of some pizzazz! I chose to use miss mustard seeds milk paint in Typewriter on the over all piece and with a Moroccan stencil, I applied Chalk Paint® Old White to the drawer fronts. I took off the wooden wardware and switch them out for glass knobs which gives the piece such character and class! I think this little guy would look really cute used as an entry way cabinet or and a dining room as a server, don't you?

And last, but not least for the end-of-the-year transformations is this old run of the mill bathroom vanity. The client was redoing their basement and was shopping around for a bathroom vanity with a pop of color. But they soon found out that those "specialty" pieces in stores could be pricey. After doing research on the Internet, they found me! And I gave them the look they desired without the high price tag. For their vanity, I used milk paint in the color of Kitchen Scale with the hint of Linen. Antiquing wax was applied around the edges to give it more of a vintage, time warned appearance. I again sprayed the original brass hardware with oil rubbed bronze, completely makes a huge difference!

So there you have it, my end of year transformations. I hope you were inspired to go out and paint something! Thank you for tagging along with me in 2013 and I hope to inspire you in 2014!

Oh but wait, one very special end-of-the-year event has happened at Knott So Shabby! We were chosen to become stockist of Chalk Paint® Decorative paint and we couldn't be more excited. After using this,what I like to call "liquid gold" in a can paint, we now sell the paint and teach all about how just how very special it is.

 See how happy I was taking the Train the Trainer course at the Annie Sloan Unfolded studio!

And shortly after returning home, I was on a masive search for just the right display cabinet which I soon found, and before long had it up and fully stocked with the whole line of Chalk Paint®.

Happy New Year to you all, may your 2014 be full of fabulous transformations of your own!

A gift from a grandmother

I was very delighted last week to be able to help a grandmother who needed a small chest of drawrs for her granddaughter's room when she visits. A few weeks ago I found this adorable antique wardrobe with a tiny chest attached and it was just perfect for her!

She had a bedroom that for princess and this piece was going to look spectacular in it. She sent me a picture of the walls she had painted for her granddaughter which gave me inspiration for the wardrobe.

To coordinate with her walls I used Annie Sloan's Chalk paint ® in Old White and then hand painted flourishes in Duck Egg, also chalk paint®.

After painting the stressing and waxing I chose antique glass knobs to give it that "special" princess touch!

The piece wasn't in very stable condition when I found it so my husband had to reinforce the bottom as it was dipping in the middle, and the door also needed adjustment.

I am so happy with the way it turned out and so was the grandmother who happens to also be the owner of a very well-known bakery here in the St. Louis area called Federhofer's bakery, see all their goodies at  http://www.federhofersbakery.com! 

On pick up day I was greeted with a smile and 2 delicious gooey butter cakes, the best I've ever had it's a must go destination!

An old Victrola is the life of the party once again!

Now that fall is in full swing we have been having so much fun creating fall decorations such as burlap wreaths, cute little mummies made from mason jars, candy corn lamp votives and windows and signs inspired by autumn and Thanksgiving . 

But I think I left you last time with the promise of the story behind the latest repurposing project my husband and I tackeled a few weeks ago. We were grateful and thrilled to come by this unique old Victrola. It belonged to my shop's landlord who ever so kindly pulled this gem from his storage unit and after trying to sell as is with no luck, he asked if I could do anything with it...ummm YES, please!

When he brought it over, I was giddy with excitement that it had all the original parts; the turn table, needle and arm and of course the cool crank on the side! It did however have a cracked grill and was no longer in working order. The finish was also scratched and dull. But all in all just as neat!

And so, it sat the day with me in the back room while I worked on other pieces.  I'd walk by it thinking about all the possibilities. Maybe it could be used as a side table with a cool lamp atop it or an entry table to hold your keys inside and a magazine rack in the lower cabinet. And then as I walked by for the hundredth time I saw it...as a wine cabinet! Now being the impatient girl that I am, I of course started disassembling it. After about an hour later and a handful of screws and bolts around me, I realized I'd better wait to share my ideas with my partner in life and in business, my wonderful husband.

So on a Friday evening, which was suppose to be our date night, I know how romantic right, we finally got a sitter, and decided to tacked mission old Victrola turned wine cabinet!

We, and by we I mean Kevin, my other half, took out all of the lower wood dividers that once housed the records. He also took out the "speaker", if you will, and cut out a piece of shelf board to replace it. This now is perfect for holding up to 8 wine glasses.

He then put just two of the six dividers back into the cabinet vertically now, rather than horizontally bracing them with strips of wood. Next, to make a rack to hold the wine bottles.  For these, he cut doll rods in half and secured them to the original shelving allowing storage now for 9 bottles!

Now that the cabinet was built, it was my turn to come up with just the right color combo. I wanted a color that was both bold and fun but classy all at once. For this I chose Miss Mustard Seeds milk paint Tricycle, a vibrant red.  I also wanted a soft color for the inside to play off the Tricycle. I thought about off white or a soft taupe, but finally decided on a pretty shade of gray by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® Paris Gray. 

After painting the inside and out, I wanted to finish the piece off by using the  original components in keeping the cool look of the original Victrola. After turning the turn table over and peeling off the felt, I then sprayed it, along with the arm and needle and crank, in a oil rubbed bronze.

Glass knobs were added for a touch of class and the original brand name was put back on the inside which I made with my Silhouette cutting tool. 

We were very please with our repurposed  little red cabinet. It will now be enjoyed once again by a family during dinner parties and holidays. And that my friends is what it's all about!

Special Touches for Special Pieces!

For the past couple weeks I've been busy getting ready for fall festivals and in doing so haven't been able to write much on the blog.  So I thought I would catch you all up on a few things we've been working on!

This darling little guy is a an old "Little Edison Folks " chest that someone brought to me. It was originally in a shiny blonde finish which is probably my least favorite.  When choosing the color, I pictured it in a boys room.  There was something about the straight lights and shape that I could totally see a toy car or truck atop it.  Of course I chose a blue shade,  Miss Mustard Seed's milk paint Flow Blue is a medium shade of blue that is both bold and classy all at once (if that makes sense?). 

 Some of you who took one of my workshops may already know about milk paint and it's abilities to adhere to particular surfaces.  It was intended for raw wood, but by simply lightly sanding it down to deplete it's sheen followed by a quick wipe down of TSP (Trisodium Phosphate) which is a de-greasing solution found at any hardware store, it will also adhere to most surfaces.  But if you have want complete assurance that it will not "chip" whatsoever or do not want to bother with the prep work, you can add a Bonding Agent (also sold in the line at my shop) to the already mixed 1 part to 1 part milk paint to water solution.  This bonding agent is only needed for the first coat and will allow you to paint on wood, metal or glass.

For this chest I did add the bonding agent to the first coat followed by 2 more coats without. 

This is what I started with

Love the shape, but not so much the color.

Much better!

After looking at it a few days, I decided it looked to much like a blueberry and so I taped it off a grain sack stripe with Frog Tape over the top and sides and painted inside the lines with Miss Mustard Seed's milk paint in Grain Sack (how fitting, huh?)  Although this color looks almost white in photos, it is more of a off white almost gray color.  I finished it off with a Hemp Oil top coat.

After doing something for a boys room,  I of course had to do something for our little princesses!  Here is an antique vanity that definitely needed a little fairy godmother dust.  When we found, her she was in a dark dirty stain with a with drawers that didn't want to go in and out anymore and a little veneer damage.

Poor thing before her makeover!

 And with just a little magic...

I started with Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint™ in Pure White over the entire piece.  Chalk Paint™ was my first love of these decorative paints, it never disappoints!  By going on literally any surface without prep, it to me is truly magic in a can!
Of course I couldn't let the little Edison chest outdo our little princess vanity, so I added stripes just down the front drawers in Antoinette by Annie Sloan.

I again used Frog tape to give a crisp clean look

After distressing a bit around the edges,  I accessorized her with these beautiful glass floral
knobs from Hobby Lobby

And just because she's so beautiful, one last photo!

 And then there was Miss Victorian Chair!  

This pretty lady was found in an outdated fabric, but was otherwise a timeless beauty.

Not a bad looking chair,  just needed a face lift is all!

 I chose a pretty brown and mind floral fabric that would make her look a little more trendy!  But first I painted her in one of my favorite colours by Annie Sloan which is called CoCo.  What a difference it made!  It really soften those ornate lines.  After distressing it around her edges and in the ornate filigree, I used clear wax for protection and she was ready for the upholstery.  

And her reveal!

What a difference a little fabric and paint can make!  The white gimp trim gave it a crisp clean new look too.

Love the wood grain coming through the CoCo colour next to the brown of the roses!

 All of these projects were so rewarding this week. By giving them their own special touches of style, they all took on a whole new look!
We also got our hands on a stunning antique Victrola that we did something really special to.  All about what we did on that piece next time! Thank you so much for visiting me today!

Linking to these fabulous blogs!

Dukes & Duchesses

Yesterday on Tuesday

Cupcakes and Crinoline

Setting for Four

Miss Mustard Seed

Startathomeblogspot.com

A beautiful marriage of vibrant and neutral colors

Hello everyone! We are finally getting back into swing of things with the kids back into school.  It always takes a few weeks, but I think we got it down now. I am also getting used to being open at the shop now earlier at 10:30 a.m. versus 12:30.  Since our youngest is now a full timer in Preschool, I am now able to be at the shop earlier.  I get alot more painting done this way and have also been getting more foot traffic in the mornings which is great!  Last week, a group of morning runners ran past the shop, noticed I was open and then did another lap around the block just to see what I had new that day.  You can say was feeling blessed to be able to stop runners in their tracks just to see my store!

So, I believe I left you last time with the story of the old Hoosier cabinet my husband and I refurbished for a client.  That was alot of work with repairs and elbow grease with the cleaning.  Regardless it turned out amazing and the client was ecstatic about her great grandmothers cabinet, but this week I had a blast with new pieces for the shop. Some in bold vibrant colors, others in soft subtle shades. 

Here are a some of my favorites!

This 1940's dresser, recently used as to furnish a dorm (with stickers and all!),
is now looking sharper than ever in Miss Mustard Seed's Tricycle!

Another gorgeous refinishing job.  This one by my wonderful husband,
in dark walnut.  This dresser was unusually deep which is awesome for
storing clothes, or even table linens and bedding.

And this is what I started with!  Someone had fun in college, huh? Stickers, dirt and scratches aside, it was still a solid piece of furniture and is now ready for many more years of use.

And then there was this solid mahogany credenza.  This was a gorgeous piece that probably would have looked ok in an office, but I had bigger plans for this one!  With it's sleek lines, I had a vision of turning this "safe" piece of furniture into something a out of the ordinary.  

Hollywood glam meets farmhouse warmth! The day I picked this piece up, I could totally see it in black or in this case Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint Graphite, which is a dark charcoal, but by using Annie's dark wax, it is pretty close to black.  By refinishing the top in a soft, rich stain like dark walnut, I was able to bring out a little cozy farmhouse feel. What a perfect marriage of the styles!

I had the mirrors cut to size at the hardware store and my husband SLOWLY drilled holes in the middle for the mercury glass knobs which look perfect against the mirrors.

Love how black, mercury glass and the wood compliment each other beautifully.

Now ready to entertain your guest with a classy look or store your files in the office!

Another favorite this week was bringing a dark and drab looking buffet back to life with color!  And to help me do this, I chose Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint in Kitchen Scale, a gorgeous color.  This is probably one of the most popular colors of the season right now.  At one point a few weeks ago, the majority of the pieces on the shop's floor were either teal or some kind of soft blue green hues.  I started to get think it was a over kill, but they just flying out the door no sooner than a couple day after I brought them in.

LOVE everything about this one! Before, you couldn't notice the pretty wreath
filigree moldings on the doors, but now...HELLO!

And of course nothing says "Home" more than a refinished top.
This one had a stunning quarter sewn oak grain,  just lovely.

I got so much joy out of refurbishing this one.

And the before shot.  No it's not horrible, but I believe it looks much happier now:)

And now for little softer touches.

Another favorite color I get complimented on in the shop is either Annie Sloan's ™ French Linen which is a taupe brown shade or CoCo, soft light brown.  When I came upon this William and Mary Dining Set, I felt it needed one of these shade and I chose CoCo.  It a soft neutral color that gives a feeling of warmth and home.  After refinishing the top, I painted the bottom of the table which has that unique style on the legs and the also used CoCo on the chairs.  

This is one of those refinished tops, that went so smoothly and turned out beautifully!

I did distressed a bit around the edges and filled in the decorative backs of the 4 wood chairs with Annie Sloan's Old Ochre for a little contrast.  The seats are now looking fresh and new again in a pretty French Toile in browns and creams.

And just for the fun of it, I mixed a custom batch of Annie Sloan's ™ French Linen and Old White and gave this French Provincial china cabinet a whole new look.  I took out the glass inserts and sprayed the wire mesh with an oil rubbed bronze spray paint. The inside needed a little spice.  That's where Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint Tricycle came in. This is a perfect example of how you can mix both of these fabulous kinds of paints, both chalk paint and milk paint, on the same piece and get beautiful results! 

Where the dishes and silver might have disappeared inside the cabinet,
it now POPS in front of the stunning Tricycle Milk Paint!

And that is how my last week looked, give or take a few projects!  I hope you were a little inspired today to step outside the "norm" a bit and try new and exciting ways of styling your own home.  Have a blessed week everyone!