Valentine's Day Mantle

I never did post pictures of my fireplace mantle. It was one of those "I fully intend to once I finish (insert project here)."  I never did get that dang bunting done. Oh well. Next year. So, here's how it ended up this year...

 

Some close-ups...

 

I wanted to keep it simple. January was super crazy because I rented a workshop to knock out a few large pieces of furniture. Them my hubby started a new job & needless to say, it was a crazy month. 

Custom White Desk

A repeat client brought this desk. She is a doctoral student and wanted a nice big space to study. This desk was a family piece that her parents handed down to her, but she wanted to give it a makeover first. 

She wanted it painted a creamy white and sent this picture of the knobs she had picked out for it. 

How cute are these knobs?!? I believe she found them all at Hobby Lobby. They have such a great selection there. 

 The top was in rough shape. It looked like the sort of stain/wood combo that might have bleed through tendencies.  I sanded it down and then I painted a test spot on the back. It started bleeding through like crazy so I shellacked it. 

This is what I used. I put on 3 coats. It's super easy to spray on and dries really quickly. 

Then I started painting the inside of the drawers. I like to paint drawers first. Then I don't worry about messing up the paint on the front of the drawers. Note: only paint the insides of drawers if it won't impair the function of the drawer. 

My client went with my suggestion of a pale yellow/gold color for the inside of the drawers. I got sooo lucky & found some drawer liner that exactly matched the yellow paint!  

 I was so stoked when my Amazon delivery came & it was an exact match because I had already painted the drawers. Yay!  

A couple coats of a hand mix of Annie Sloan Pure White & Old White Chalk Paint and then some distressing to bring out the details & some wax & buffing to finish it off.

My client wanted the chair painted the same yellow as the inside of the drawers. I found some fabric that had all of the knob colors in it. Such a fun pop of color. 

Hopefully she's getting a lot of studying done!  

Antique Buffet

I found this beauty on a Facebook garage sale page...  A steal, in my opinion, for only $75.  Swoon...  Just look at those legs... That detail on the bottom & top. Oy. I originally bought it with plans to paint it and resell it. By the time we got it loaded in the back of the truck and home, my husband said "we're keeping this one right?"  THAT. NEVER. HAPPENS. 

It had a few small issues to deal with. It had a kind/sorta repaired crack in it.  

They tried to fill it with glue, I think.  At least that's what it looked like. I fix that spot and there were quite a few places that the veneer was chipped that needed filled, making this buffet a perfect candidate for paint!  

The top was a beautiful medium brown color, and was in pretty decent condition.  So, I sanded down all of the scratches and gave it a new coat of poly acrylic. 

Then I went to work filling in the chipped veneer areas. 

Once I was done sanding these areas smooth, I went to work with some paint!

I chose Country Chic Paint in Vanilla Frosting. A warm, creamy white. 

I've been experimenting with this paint line. I'm planning to become a retailer in the very near future. 

Some progress...

I sprayed the original hardware with Rustoleum's Oil Rubbed Bronze. 

Here it is in my entryway with some fall decor. I'll post an updated picture as soon as decorate for the holidays. I can't wait to set up some sort of vignette on it!  

Custom Dresser - Pale Aqua Chalk Paint

Custom orders have kept me pretty busy this summer.

A client sent me picture from a magazine and brought me this dresser asking if I could make it happen...

With aspirations of it looking like this...

I was so dang excited!  How gorgeous is that dresser?!?

I hand mixed the color from Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I used Duck Egg, Old White, Pure White, & Arles to achieve the color, however, there was no measuring, so I have no idea of how much of what I used. 

Some in process shots...  

When it doesn't affect the function, I like to paint the drawers inside & out. I think it just looks more finished. 

I had a heck of a time finding the hardware my client wanted for the price that I had budgeted in my quote. So... I found these for a few dollars more per pull (gulp) but they were exactly what I had in mind for size & shape. Luckily, she was ok with the extra cost to get exactly what she wanted. 

I found them at signaturehardware.com. They offer free shipping on orders over $50 and the shipping was FAST!  

They are so lovely!  Too bad I'm planning to spray paint them nickel. 

I sprayed them with Rustoleum Satin Nickel finish (amazingly gorgeous color, even on its own, btw) & then used Annie Sloan Dark Wax to age them. They turned out exactly how I had pictured they would!  Doesn't always happen painting antiques ;)

I did just a little distressing because this dresser had such nice details for it.  I used 220 grit and then 400 to get it velvety smooth.  Then I finished it with clear wax.  

I lined the drawers with this paper...

Here is the finished product...

Obviously, I need to come up with a different staging area, I just don't have the space at the moment.  My hubby was kind enough to hold up the canvas drop cloth in the garage while I took pictures. lol.  

A vast improvement, I think!

What have you been working on lately?  My son started kindergarten this week and in a few weeks, my daughter will be in preschool 3 mornings a week.  Hello free time!  I have about 5 custom pieces lined up for people at the moment.  It should be a fun fall!

4th of July Mantle 2014

I know I'm behind in posting this, but frankly, I'm just glad I actually remembered to take pictures. 😉

I set my patriotic mantle up just before Memorial Day. I got it finalized the week before July 4th. By finalized, I mean 99% done because I never got anything printed off to put in the frame. Gah!  My life is always a work in progress. Ha. 

Some close ups...

I found this tiered stand at a garage sale!  

I had some leftover red burlap from my new front door wreath that I added to my twig wreath that I use for MANY seasons. 

I tried really hard to use elements that I already had in the house (other than the 3-tiered stand) 

Obviously we don't play much poker, since no one noticed these were gone. 

I did manage to make a new wreath for the front door. It was simple & easy. 

I found the red & blue burlap at Walmart and just couldn't resist. 

Some of the elements are from last years mantle. A few new ideas & some old ones mashed up together. Cheap & easy!  

Now I have to decide if I'm ok leaving up patriotic decor out until fall or do I set something for late summer?  

Beachy White Wax Dresser

 I ordered a bunch of colors of Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint and waxes to try out.  I had read about her new white wax and was curious about what it would do. I thought this piece might be perfect to try it out on.  

I found this little treasure at my local Habitat for Humanity Home store.  Other than a moderately gross paint job and broken handle, it was in near perfect condition and a total steal! (Sometimes I watch Netflix while I paint... One of my vices)

I mixed up some MMS milk paint in "Kitchen Scale" which is one of my favorite colors in her line.  It is just the most gorgeous color in person, however, it's hard to accurately photograph because it has so much depth. Every picture seems to be a little different color.

I painted the the insides of the drawers white (so they look nice & clean, since I sell most of my pieces) Then I went to work with the milk paint.

                                    

I let it dry overnight and then lightly took a putty knife to it to get off any flaky paint to achieve that chippy milk paint look.  Then I sanded a few spots with 180 grit sandpaper to give it a worn beach cottage look and then took a 220 grit sandpaper to it to smooth everything out and give it a nice finish.

I did one coat of MMS Furniture Wax (wipe it on, let it sit, buff it off) and let it set up for a couple of hours, then I took a chip brush and sort of painted on the white wax and then rubbed it in with a clean, lint free rag.  I gave me a white wash/ salt wash look.  I love how it turned out!  I've since used the white wax on a few projects. 

                                     

     
The hardware I found on ebay.  I painted and distressed then pulls and then sealed them with polycrylic spray.  I likes that they reminded me of shells... 

I happened to have this drawer liner, which matched perfectly.  Love when that happens!

This piece is available for sale at Twisted Vine Collective.