Country farmhouse at its best

 Let's see where do I start? It looks like since I'm blogging once a week now, my projects are also posting a week behind. This week I'm posting about the farmhouse harvest table and chairs we refurbished last week. Next week I will share with you the gorgeous dressers I painted in the wonderful colors of Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint. One of these dressers, I'm particularly in love with....you'll just have to wait!  As wonderful as it is to sell these refurbished vintage and antique furniture pieces, the whole process is quite time consuming.
About a  month ago, my husband who is my personal online hound for upcoming estate sales, auctions and must haves on Craigslist, informs me of an estate sale that has not one, but six of these oh so sought after farm house tables.  I knew they wouldn't last long on sale day nor would they be cheap, so we set out early and were the first ones on site.  And there they were, two large and four smaller solid oak work horse tables! One of the two larger ones had some damage on the top, as did one of the smaller ones, so we passed on them and came home with four of the six.  The largest one was 8 feet long and 45" wide and was the first one to get refinished.

Isn't it dreamy....

After stripping and sanding the top down with multiple grits, we stained the top of the table with dark walnut.  My husband is adamant about protecting table tops for durability and insist on applying several coats of polyurethane and sanding between each coat for superior smoothness.  While applying the stain, the beauty of the grain came shining through.  I believe this is quarter sewn oak, and is just stunning with it's unique lines.

After stripping and sanding, this gorgeous
wood grain appears from beneath years of dirt and grim.

I couldn't decide if I wanted to leave the legs as is or paint them in Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint ™ Pure White to match the chairs.  After looking the legs over, I noticed they had some kind of gray outdoor paint in a few spots. That settled it for me, Pure White is was. Believe it or not, I have never used this color on anything in the shop. I usually like to use an off white such as ASCP Old White. Many think because I advertise liking the Shabby Chic style, that I use alot of white, but it's just the case. 

This antique chair got a fresh look with a new
Laura Ashley floral print, very pretty. 

 Now for the chairs. Between our journeys to sales and random people bringing them in for me to buy, we have accumulated some really unique vintage and antique chairs.  I chose 4 set of 2 chairs in  different styles to go with this table.  Two sets of the chairs were upholstered. One in it's original dark green leather with nail head trim and the other was in a outdated dirty fabric.  I left the dark green one as is because it was just fitting for this set. For the other set of chairs, a pretty, fresh floral print by Laura Ashley that went perfect with the whole farmhouse look.  

One of my personal favorites is this antique wood
chair that was often seen in farmhouse kitchens.

 After painting the chairs, I distressed them, some pretty heavily.  This gave them that authentic time worn look of being used in a kitchen where breakfast, lunch and dinner were served daily.

These ladder back chairs were not at all old, but
with a little help from Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint™ and some
sand paper, they now look the part.

This is another favorite, yes, I can have more than one!
The seat is still wearing its original dark green leather with
patina nail head trim. I thought it was so fitting for this set, so left it as is.

Gorgeous leaf filigree on the chair back that distresses perfectly

Waxing chairs in definitely not my favorite things to do. With all of those spindles and legs, it seems like a never ending task. But like all good things that take time, this set was not an exception.  With the help of my girls, my friend Jen and of course my husband, we were able to refurbish this table and chairs into what it is today. 

For the table decor, I used antique blue
Ball Jars and filled them with wild flowers.
Burlap and ironstone complete this farm fresh look!

My husband and I brought it to the store on a Tuesday night.  We had to take it apart of course because of its weight.  Despite doing this, it was still extremely heavy, leaving me with the conclusion that it was time for me to hit the weights if I want to keep doing this kind of work!  With all of the hard work that went into this beautiful set, it was well worth it and found a home in just a few short days of being on display!

Another week has gone and with that another happy family enjoying treasures from yesteryear.  I hope you all a very happy 4th of July week!

Linking up to these fabulous Blogs:

Dukes & Duchesses

Artsy Chicks Rule

Yesterday on Tuesday

Cupcakes and Crinoline

Setting for Four

Repurposing an Antique Buffet

As many of you know, my husband and I have 5 children ages 17 to 3, and the questions I've been getting alot from clients and customers lately are  "How in the world do you get all this refurbishing done?" or "Do you ever sleep?" Well, it certainly is a lot of work raising children as many of you know, but because I married my best friend 18 years ago and because he is the hardest working person I've ever met, he makes me want to be the best mom I can be.  I work hard at refurbishing furniture and the business because I truly enjoy it, almost as much as I love being a mom.  Around our house everyone has to chip in to stay organized and to get things done.  For instance this summer, with all of the children home for break, and with me having to work at the store, my older girls take turns from babysitting for the younger two and going with me to the store where they paint, make home decor and just hang with me!  I know some people may laugh and ask if I've ever heard about the child labor laws, but they do get paid and we believe it's good for kids now a days to learn responsibility and reap the benefits of working for a dollar.  We also teach them about reusing, recycling and my favorite repurposing or up-cycling as I've heard it called. This week we've been doing alot of just that.  

A month or so ago, a past client had stopped in the shop asking if I was interested in buying her buffet.  By the photos she shared,  I saw it was in decent condition and agreed.  You know, sometimes pictures just plain lie.  When she brought the buffet to us I will admit I was a bit disappointed and frankly a little scared.  It was in worse shape than we are use to.  Besides the insert to 1 of the cabinet doors being pushed out, the 2 drawers were so warped they couldn't  open or close.  Yes, it had good bones, but the drawers were a lost cause, so I though about replacing the drawers with shelves where you could store baskets for storage.  Then it dawned on me, how cool would it be to keep your wine in these cubbys and your glasses in the cabinet?!  My husband on the other hand was a little skeptical, but of course got to work on his plans.  

 This is what we started with.....

You can't tell it from this picture, but the drawers were so warped, they couldn't
slide in and out anymore.  You can see that the door insert is pushed through.

 After a date night at Home Depot,  I know it's sad, we bought the supplies we needed.  Of course a new project calls for a new tool, which my husband loves.  We came home with all of the supplies we needed and a  new toy, a 4 inch hole saw.  Although I  was absent for the majority of the construction, remember we have 5 kids, my husband gave a brief tutorial on how he made the wine rack.  Taking a pine board, he used his handy dandy hole saw and cut out 8 holes in the middle of the pine board. He then cut that board in half long ways leaving half circles for the rack, 8 front and 8 back.  He sanded the edges smooth.  Shelf board was used for the bottoms of each rack.  After installing the racks, the cosmetic and fun stuff began!

We refinished the top in dark walnut and sealed it with 3 coats of wipe on poly.  I wanted this piece to be a soft classy color that would go easily with many home decors, so I chose to use Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint ™ French Linen on the body.  For the trimmings and door inserts, I mixed a custom color of a little of the French Linen and Old White.  

Remember when I mentioned the door inserts being pushed out of one of the doors? My first thought was using chicken wire for a replacement, but wanted something a bit sturdier.  So, on our trip to Home Depot we picked up a sheet of metal mesh.  It came in sheets 24" X 12".  With tin snips, we cut them in half for each door.  The mesh came in the gray metal only, so I used Oil Rubbed Bronze on them.  I also sprayed the door knobs in this.

And this is our repurposed buffet turned Wine Rack with metal mesh inserts in the cabinet doors!

We truly enjoyed doing this project.  It was something my husband and I was able to do together.   With a little imagination and a few new tools,  we were able to save this buffet from a certain trip to the dump.  And that my friend, is what it's all about.

Have a blessed week everyone!

Beach Cottage with a little Class

When I was so fortunate to accidentally come across our new shop for lease, the landlord had left a few pieces he no longer needed in his home.  On my first day of having a key I found a sofa table with Queen Anne legs, an antique farm house fireplace mantel and a curio cabinet with glass shelves.  I knew from the minute I laid eyes on the fireplace mantel that it would find a home in my kitchen someday, but as for the other 2 pieces, I have been contemplating for months of how to paint them.  They were not in need of paint, however the dark cherry stain wasn't doing it for me.  So this week I finally had a vision of giving the curio cabinet a fresh look.
Because it had such an ornate look, I used Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint ™ Versailles on the body. It needed 2 coats to cover the dark cherry stain.

After distressing around the edges and filigree,
the dark stain came through for a beautiful
time worn look.

 This color is so versatile.  By itself, it has a yellow-green tint, but for this piece I felt it needed more depth.  To achieve this,  I used Miss Mustard Seed's Antiquing Wax.  I am in love with this product!  It is not as dark as other dark waxes on the market so there is no need to mix with a clear wax or to put on a clear wax coat first.  You can simply go directly over whatever color you are using and it will instantly add years of use.  I especially made sure to push it into the ornate carved corner.  But before I did any waxing, I dry brushed  Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint Linen on the drawers and other trimmings.   When dry brushing, it's important not to have to much paint on your brush and to press lightly where you want a little highlighting.

Dry brushing with a light color is another way
of adding depth and dimension to your piece.

The inside consist of 2 glass shelves.  I wanted this to have a pop of color.  The cool fresh ocean's of California was my inspiration for this.  Living on the West Coast has left beautiful landscaped vision imprinted in my mind!  I chose to mix Annie Sloan's ™ Provence with a little Old White to achieve this color. It's just the right color to compliment the Versailles I think.

By adding white dish wear and and Mercury glass decor,
you add class and simplicity to your furnishings.

After replacing the original wooden knobs for antique glass knobs, I buffed the wax to a soft sheen and tada, a classy beach fresh curio cabinet that will look at home in any home decor style from beach cottage to french country.

Sorry, I forgot to take a before picture of the actual
cabinet, but this was pretty close to it.  

Sometimes it can take us longer than we wish to pick a color pallet for our furniture pieces, but with a little patience and inspirations from the things we love, they soon find their way into our hand and paint brushes.  Have a wonderful week everyone!

Mixing it up with Milk Paint

Thinking of a color between Miss Mustard Seed's Luckett's Green and Kitchen Scale. Can you guess what it is?! Well, it's a little bit blue teal and a little bit green and a whole lot of pretty!

What a difference a little Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint can make, huh?

After refinishing the top on this mid-century dresser, I couldn't decide on the bottom color.  I was back and forth between Miss Mustard Seed's Luckett's Green and Kitchen Scale.  So I did what we do at my home when we're out of this or that ingredient.   We mix what we do have and make something delicious!

This is not the actual dresser, but the night stand that went with.
Sorry, in all of the photos I take, this one had disappeared, but
you get the idea:)

After sanding the bottom part with a high grit sanding block, I wiped it down with TSP and then started the mixing of the colors.  In a cup, I added 3 large tbls of Kitchen Scale and 2 of the Luckett's.  The key to mixing the Milk Paint is to remember once you think it's mixed enough, mix it some more.  I found this out the hard way.  After I put on the first coat, I noticed the paint getting a little thick in the cup, so I added a bit of water and with my spoon I began to mix, but found that on the bottom of my cup was a bit of dry milk paint.  The color seemed to be mostly Luckett's, so I added more Kitchen Scale in hopes of evening it out.  Was I lucky in matching to the first coat, nah!  It was totally off, but I just went with it and made sure to cover the whole piece with at least a coat of this new color.

The result was this gorgeous blue-green that I'm sure I will probably not be able to replicate, but what makes this piece all the more unique.  When the whole piece was dry, I noticed it was chippy in a few areas, but for the most part was a solid finish.  I painted the drawer inserts in Linen and distressed the corners and edges.  Since there wasn't  much chipping, I seal with Hemp oil and tada, a tired old dresser transformed into a breath of fresh air!  Wouldn't this look lovely as a buffet or entry way table?

Now onto project #2. Remember last week when I was so excited about the French Grain Sack Settee going in the shop?  I just couldn't wait to see it together with the Queen Anne side tables and the coffee table I painted with the French typography.  Well, there was one more piece I wanted to add to this ensemble for a complete sitting room, this french upholstered arm chair.  Although the settee found a new home right away, I think this chair will still look beautiful with the Queen Anne side tables.

Before the ripping began....

 I found this chair in perfect condition at a resell shop, and although it was in great shape, it just wasn't speaking to me.  Yes, I probably could have stuck as is in the shop, but what fun is that?  I needed to add that special touch to it.  Do I just paint the frame and leave the silky pink upholstery on it?  Nope,  that would be way to easy. Of course I'm going to jump right in! Out came the staple remover, and the ripping began.

After I took off the back, I was a little hesitant to carry on,
after all I am not a professional upholsterer, but we
must always carry on.

As I took the old upholstery off,  I made sure to label each piece to use as a pattern for the new upholstery.  Next came the painting of the frame.  Since it was a black shiny finish, I chose to use Old White by Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint.  I knew I didn't want to distress through the Old White because I felt the black beneath would be to bold.  So I opted to use a mix of clear and dark waxes to manipulate the patina.

For the graphics on this chair, I again used my favorite graphic web site,
The Graphics Fairy.  I chose the French Grain Sack monogram.
I used the Citra-Solv transfer method, since it worked so
well on the other grain sacks graphics I used on the settee. 

I used the same linen like fabric on the chair that I used on the settee. It really gives a authentic grain sack look.  The back part of the chair was probably the hardest to do.  After a couple of hours of stapling and tugging with a dinosaur of a stapler, my carpal tunnel finally called it quits.  I threw my hand in the air and went straight to Home Depot in search of new "more powerful" stapler.  An hour later I was back at it.  This time with an air stapler that attached to our air compressor, much better.  I had the remaining pieces on in no time.  Sometimes, it just pays to buy the more powerful tool right away, even it it may cost a bit more.  It can get the job done faster and with out a throbbing hand.

I used a simply delicate white gimp for the trim.  It really defined the
chair and gave it a clean crisp look.

The finished product....may not be as perfect as
a professional upholsterer, but it won't
be as costly as a one either, my kind of chair!

This week was full of lots of new experiences for me and for my daughters who have now joined me at the shop during summer break.   I absolutely love having one or the other there with me. They are growing and learning more and more everyday about the joys of crafting and refurbishing.

  

Have a blessed week everyone, may all of your projects be inspiring not only to you, but to those around you.

Linking to: The Three Mango Seeds
and The Graphics Fairy

A very "Frenchy" week

I just love it when I save myself and my clients money.  If you love Pinterest as much as I do, you will find everything from gorgeous refurbished furniture and hand crafted decor, to food recipes and landscape ideas. One of the wonderful things about this site is that if you click on something you love, it will take you to the site that it came from and most times will give you a tutorial or information on how you can achieve the same thing.  As a mom of 5, I think this is just awesome!  Not only do I save a lot of money by making things for myself and my clients to cherish for years to come, but I also get a sense of accomplishment as I do it.  My children have seen me do this many times over whether it be making my own drapes out of discounted fabric and a simple flat bed sheet, or an area rug out of a canvas drop cloth.  I am their roll model right now. Things they see me do today I hope they will try tomorrow!

On the subject of being thrifty, lately I've been in a "French Mood".  I love their food, their music, and especially vintage textiles such as French Grain Sacks and French Typography.  

My most recent French Typography work using
a overhead projector,  steady hand, and a
gorgoues French graghic from my favorite graphic site,
The Graphics Fairy.
The bottom is painted in Miss Mustard Seed's French Enamel

Gorgeous Queen Anne Leg, my first
attempt of using the left over MMSMP Grain Sack and
clear wax over the French Enamel,
gave a soft pillowy effect.

What I don't particularly care for is the high price tag that ususally goes along with such beautiful decor.  One of the hot fads right now is upholstering furniture with the antique French Grain Sacks.  I myself, love to do this, however my budget doesn't allow for the "real" grain sack which come with a high price tag of $40 and up for one sack. You can find these grain sacks on Ebay or Etsy. I recently came across another opportunty  to use my faux grain sack upholstery on a settee purchased at an Estate Sale.  It is a early american style settee with worn out upolstery in a not-so-flattering maroon.

It was in perfect conditipn, just needed a
a little sprucing up!

My first thought again was to see if I could search the web hard enough, I might find a deal on a few French grain sacks to recover the settee. Yes, I could have used a good old American one which have much better price tag of around $20 or so, but as I mentioned earlier, I was in the mood for the French flair, and as usual, I do what I can with what I have. My favorite fabric to use is a linen like fabric called Osnaburg.  I bought the whole bolt this time because I knew I would use it for backs of pillows and other crafts.  As you can see in the picture, the settee consisted of 3 bottom and 3 top cushions.  I didn't feel nor did I have the time to make 6 separate box cushions, so I opted to make just one bottom box cushion. For the 3 top ones, I wanted to resembel the French Grain Sacks.

Transfering images onto fabric
is super fun and easy with using
the Citra Solv method.

My first Citra Solve transfer,
I'm hooked!

After transfering the images on the 3 top cushion fronts, I sewed them up into simple pillow like forms hand stitching the last side in a semi primative way to give it a authentic grain sack closure.  The bottom cushion was a bit more of a challenge as I have never made a box cushion cover before.  Again I hit the net, and found a tutorial on just how to do it.  I simple used the old covers as a pattern and in no time I had my bottom cushion.   The last step was to use my grain sack stencil, which I made a while back using a straight edge and a utility knife. I added the stripes on each top pillow and on the ends of the bottom cushion.

The French Grain Sack Settee #2! (see Settee #1here)
I painted the wood frame in
Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint
"Linen", distressed the edges used a
mix wax for aged lovliness.

Since the big Dining Room set found a new home this week, I worked extra late hours on a replacement.  I chose to do more of a French Cottage sitting room instead of another Dining Room set.  Along with the Queen Anne coffee table I painted in the French typography, I also added 2 end tables using the same MMSMP French Enamel and Grain Sack on the drawers with tops being refinished in a dark walnut.  

Queen Anne Side Table in
MMSMP French Enamel with the
drawer in Grain Sack. 

And that's how my very "frenchy" week went!  I got a lot done, and am very pleased with my thrifty efforts. This very fun, very gorgeous set can now be seen and purchased at Knott So Shabby! 

Have a blessed week everyone!