Big, Red and Beautiful

Happy Friday everyone!  I was up early today thinking I could finish up with the waxing of a custom dining room set but, my little ones thought different.  It never fails, I sneak downstairs and make my first cup of coffee trying to be as quiet as possible.  All I need is an hour before they wake up, but as soon as I take one step into the work shop, I hear what sounds like a herd of elephants coming down the stairs and 2 sleepy eyed faces peek around the corner, looking for me.  So much for my one hour, but how can you resist those adorable faces really! With my hours at the new shop being from Tuesday through Saturday now, I really do miss being a full time mom at times.  I now know what it's like to be a full time working mom and have a new found respect for all of the working moms out there.  Being a mom alone is A LOT of work, but trying to juggle being a business owner AND mom is a whole other ball game!  But I'm living a dream I've had for a long time and appreciating being with my family when when I can.

On a furniture note....Today I chose for Friday's Favorite Furniture Piece one of my personal favorite styles of furniture, the Empire style.  I found this very large dresser at a resale shop by accident.  Like I once said, these are really hard to find treasures, so when my girlfriend Jennifer was sending me a picture of a different piece in this resale shop, I caught a glimps of a gorgeous chunky "leg" on this dresser in the corner of the picture. As calmly as I could, I ask her to turn around and look at the piece behind her.  Is that what I thought it was?! Yes, it was. An amazing Empire Dresser with its original mirror.  I have seen alot of Empire chest of drawers refurbished,  but not so many actual dressers, so I immediately told her to stay put,  I was on my way.  When I arrived at the store, I was amazed of the size of this dresser, but a bit disappointed at the condition.  Yes, the paint could easily be refurbished, but the mirror brackets were cracked and ready to fall apart, the mirror was attached by a 2X4 across the back,  and the bottom 2 drawers were warped badly.   Did this stop me, no way.  I couldn't pass up an opportunity like this.  After all it's all fixable when you're married to Mr. Fix it!
I will start with the reveal first....

After.....

It was originally painted in a light blue, so I chose
ASCP Emperor's Silk to go over it so that the blue
would still come through when I distressed it.

I dark waxed the entire piece and added new
Mercury Glass Knobs,  LOVE this  combo!

Besides the curvy chunky legs, the mirror arms
are another feature I love about this dresser.
They have been rebuilt and I also was able to find the replacement mirror hardware on Ebay

And this is a how we got it there...

 The top drawer was competely taken apart and rebuilt
we also rebuilt the 2 bottom drawers, but forgot to
take a picture, sorry.

Add caption

The mirror arms before rebuilding

 THE BEFORE....

Pre-Refurb Condition

Another Empire Piece saved and refurbished!  Although it was definitely not the easiest transformation, it was well worth it.  This beautiful piece is available now at Knott So Shabby in Columbia Illinois.  Thank you so much for visiting me today, have a blessed weekend!

Breaking away from the norm....

Sometimes you have to break free from the "norm" and step outside the box.  We don't always have to follow what everyone else is doing or how they are doing it.  It's good to just let your imagine run free and have fun with a project!  And that is just what I did to this cute antique Hoosier Table and chairs.  When I was first approached to buy the set, one look at the color ORANGE and I about walked, no, ran the other way.  BUT, something stopped me.  Not sure if it were my inner "get crazy" side or what, but I knew I couldn't walk away from this set.  It needed me.  My first thought was to strip it all down to the bare wood and start from scratch, and then I woke up.  I have not nor do I plan to ever strip down a painted chair much less 4 painted chairs.  I thought and thought about a alternative.  The funky orange wasn't that bad. I could actually see a young college student in a dorm or loft enjoying it, but for this girl, it would have to tone down a bit.  Gray over orange was my first thought, but then I remembered I just painted that huge Dining Room Set in Paris Gray and wanted to use another color. Black?, no to Halloween.  So, I do what I love to do and get inspiration from my favorite magazines such as Flea Market Style magazine and blog, or Cottage Style.  I also love Better Home and Gardens. You can always find great ideas in these.  This idea came from the Do it Yourself magazine which is a special publication of Better Homes and Gardens, Spring 2013 issue.

This was my inspiration....

Source: Better Homes and Gardens "do it yourself"
Publication

And this is my version...

Antique Hoosier Table and Chairs in ASCP Napoleonic Blue 

I LOVE the color combo and the funky chic style is gives!

Isn't it cool!  In the magazine, they used an unpainted table, which left the images in bare wood and then they painted over the placed vinyl in a pretty green. So let's back up.  In order to get the place setting images on the table, I traced a plate and utensils onto vinyl.  I suppose you could used contact paper too.  After carefully cutting them out which was quite the task, those darn fork prongs, they were oh so carefully placed in front of each chair on the orange table.  Another cool thing about this table is the "pop up" leaf.  When you pull the 2 ends apart a folded leave is attached and on this leaf, are 2 of the 4 settings.  So you could have a table with just 2 of the settings without the leaf or 4 settings with!

Here are some pictures to help you understand the process a bit better.

This is the table and 1 of the 4 chairs as I acquired them.
Not so bad, but needed to chill a bit for my taste.

I traced the biggest spoon, knife and fork I
could find in my house.  The plate is a standard size.

After tracing them onto the vinyl, I cut them out....

and oh so carefully stuck them exactly where I wanted them!

Next came the 3 coats of ASCP Napoleonic Blue.  When that dried, the vinyl settings were peeled up leaving the images in orange.  I distressed just around the corners and edges of the chairs and table so that the orange would blend with the orange on the table settings.  Clear wax was then applied and buffed to a soft sheen!

This was a really fun project. It just goes to show you that with a little paint and imagination, the possibilities are endless.....

Thanks for stopping in.  I hope were too were inspired to do something crazy or out of the norm with a project that's been on your mind lately!

Grandma's Jelly Cupboard

Today is a stormy rainy day and I have to say that I'm truly enjoying it!  It's been a while since I heard crashing of thunder like this morning.  Living in California, you may have the rainy season but not so much thunderstorms, or not of this magnitude.  So, today, I've been on the computer writing estimates and arranging and editing my photos of the finished pieces in the shop.  My wish is that someday, I will figure out how to balance the paperwork, blogging and painting so that I don't get overwhelmed with one or the other.  Of course the constant interruptions of our little ones don't help much, but it is what it is and you do what you can.  This week we were extremely busy with several custom jobs.  My hard working amazing husband, not only works a very dangerous job outside of the home, but gets up at 3:30 most morning to refinish table tops and put a coat or 2 on dressers if need be.  I have no idea how he does this!  He has always been an early riser and a hard worker, but his dedication to our new shop and business is just beyond words, so thank you for the millionth time my love.  Case in point an old Jelly cupboard that was brought to us in it basic shell with no door and a very water damaged top.  I know I posted photos of this cupboard on my Facebook page a while back, but felt it deserved a post on my blog, so here it is.  After sanding the what was left sides down to the original first layer, he then  rebuilt it to its former glory. I painted it in ASCP Pure White with clear wax and it was as good as new again! It belonged to my client's grandmother and she wanted it restored back to what she remembered as a child in her grandmother's kitchen. And that my friends is what I  absolutely LOVE  about when  furniture is restored or even refurbished and brought back to life whether it be to remember a loved one or just to enjoy in the heart of our homes!

Just lovely, looks like grandma just brought it home!
My apologies for the lack of staging

He used an wire attachment on his drill and wire brushed all of the old rust and grime off,  NICE

Newly rebuilt top with molding and new shelves with original clips

Side view of Cupboard AFTER

Side view of Cupboard BEFORE

The before and after!

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you were inspired a bit today.  Would you like subscribe to my blog and have my posts sent to you via email? Click here, thanks!

Friday's Favorite Furniture Piece"s"

Happy Friday all! Time flies when you having fun I guess, because I could've sworn I just posted my favorite piece in the shop. It's a hard job to do because I personally LOVE it all, but someone's got do it! Today I picked the very large, very heavy and VERY GORGEOUS Dining Room Set. Remember how popular oak was a decade ago? Well not so much anymore. I'm not saying its horrible, just not my favorite look, so when I came upon this all oak set, it screamed I need a "makeover"! The top is completely amazing with its inlays which match the etched glass of the china cabinet, so we striped, sanded and stained it a dark walnut with several coats, but with oak, it hard to penetrate that wood type. After several coats, we achieve a semi dark walnut top. The bottom of the table and chairs are in Annie Sloan's Paris Gray with the seats being upholstered in a very cottage feel fabric of birds and leaves. The hutch and china cabinet are in ASCP Old White with the accents and inside in the Paris Gray. It really brought this set alive! Hope you enjoy it today, it might be gone tomorrow:) Have a great weekend everyone!


AFTER MAKEOVER!

BEFORE MAKEOVER!

Do you love it?! If so, come see it in person at the shop if you live around St. Louis.  Check out my For Sale page for details on measurements and pricing and my contact page for the shop's address.

 Thanks for visiting, if you would like to get a preview of my posts emailed to you click here.

Searching for just the right piece..

Today I was going through my pictures files and came across a couple pieces that I did for my own home.  When we moved back from California last summer, there were a few pieces of furniture I needed for storage.  We have a small bathroom on the main level of our house that has pedestal sink with no storage for towels and other toiletries.  There isn't even enough room in this bath for a cabinet, so I searched for weeks looking for a small cabinet that I could use in the hall next to the bathroom.  There are 2 bedrooms with 2 door ways in this hall which leaves a very small area to put this cabinet that will allow the kids to come in and out of their rooms without bumping into it.  I wanted something vintage or antique and with character.  It also had to be functional to hold enough towels for the 3 older kids and all of their toiletries.  This must be one of those really hard to find furniture pieces that people are looking for for just this kind of thing because of all the pieces my customers are asking about, a small cabinet like this is one of the most frequent.  After looking on Craigslist and a few garage sales, I finally got lucky and found just the right size cabinet on Craigslist in a town not far from me.  When I went to look at it, it was just the right size, from the 50's I'd say by the hardware and lines.  It was also in a blond wood finish which was popular at that time.  I bought it for $80 and couldn't wait to get it home and get some color on it!  

NOW

I chose ASCP Duck Egg and used a mix of clear and dark wax
for depth and patina.

THEN

The before:  the glass knobs were on it when I bought it,
but the original silver plated round knobs were in the drawer.

 I couldn't have been more pleased on how the cabinet turned out, but most importantly it serves it's purpose perfectly and without having to go out and buy a brand new piece that would cost a lot more and lack the character and color I so love!

Another piece we needed for the family room was an end table that could hold all of the remotes, magazines and other gadgets around that room.  This one wasn't near as hard to find.  I think the price tag of $10 had something to do with that!  I found this one on Craigslist as well in the town we live in.  I try to look for things in and around where we live, so that I can save on gas which is so outrage right now.  I love this little end table for its adorable shape and character and because it has a lot of storage inside by lifting the front top lid, very neat.

                                                                         THEN

This was the before picture taken straight from the CL listing.
It was cute as is, but needed a little love,  it came to the right place for that!

                                                                        And NOW!

I used ASCP in Old White on the legs and front with rest in CoCo. The hardware fit the color choice just
fine, so I just gave it a quick spray of Rubbed Bronze to update it a bit.

I'm not a real big stencil user, but I thought this geometrical stencil gave
it a little extra Cottage flair which I just LOVE.

I wish I had more pictures of the side table in my family room, but this will have to do until I can get a few updated shots of that room.  One of these days.....

Hope you enjoyed, thanks for visiting me today!


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Surprise Ending

Happy Friday Everyone!! Wow, what a week. The first week in the new shop was just as wonderful as I'd hoped. I am feeling right at home again in my new space! So I'd like to start off my first Friday with my very first Friday's Favorite Furniture Piece! I chose this stunning dresser chest that took me for a whirlwind of a ride refurbishing it, but like the lesson I've learned numerous times is that if you stick with it amazing things can happen. This is Miss Mustard Seeds Milk Paint in Flow Blue and Grain Sack. The milk paint did it job nicely with the authentic chippy distressed look, I just LOVE it! The top is refinished in dark walnut. And with this rich top and the glass knobs, I think the piece is time worn perfection! All of the elements of wood, color and glass blend beautifully. 

NOW, for the process of getting it this way. I've been using Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint for about 7 months now and just when I think I got the method down pretty well, a piece like this comes my way.  I bought this antique chest with a dresser a few months back.  With that dresser I wanted complete control of the distressing, so I washed the piece down with TSP and then added bonding agent.  Everything went as planned, the paint went on smoothly and stuck nicely to the wood.  On that dresser I used French Enamel and Old White by Annie Sloan.  Chalk paint, of course always stays put, but that what I like about the milk paint it so UNPREDICTABLE, but in a good way! I refinished the top on this dresser as well and was able to distress just where I felt it need be.  It turned out beautifully and was sold almost as soon as it hit the shop floor!

Ok, fast forward to her brother the chest, I know I'm pretty cheesy.  So, I repeat the process only this time using Flow Blue and Grain Sack.  I TSPed all the drawers except the top, which I forgot, but thought it didn't seem to need it and because I refinished the decorative plaque in the middle, i didn't want to bother that.  So I mix up the potion, haha, with the bonding agent and proceed with painting the Flow Blue first and then the drawers Grain Sack.  Let me just stop and express how much I enjoy the look of the old German grain sack and so was totally excited to use these colors.  They both went on the same and as I'm applying, I can sort of tell that the Grain Sack is repelling a bit, but I let it go and decided to go pick up Subway with the family while it dried......this is what I came home to find.

 I was in amazement at just how things can happen in literally 30 minutes.  ALL of the paint on the top drawer had lifted off except where the knobs were, so I'm thinking someone along the line added a wood oil finish to it and the TSP certainly would have helped me out here.  The other drawers and sides did start to chip which surprised me because I did add the bonding agent, but I may have been a little conservative with it.  I went ahead and let the sides and bottom drawers "chip" away and then TSPed the top drawer and repainted it.  This time adding a little more agent.  I wanted the top drawer to chip as well so I was a little worried they would look different.  As the paint chipped away, I love it more and more.  I don't know if it was the richness of that perfect stained top combined with the chippy paint but somehow this piece just spoke to me and I'm glad it did!  The glass hardware was just the right finishing touch that gave it a the time worn perfection I didn't expect, but am so pleased.