Monday, February 24, 2014

MY CANADIAN THANKSGIVING grey and white buffet

This wife was refinishing a buffet on thanksgiving
while her husband was preparing to serve a turkey buffet.


This pieces was up for auction recently and we eventually got it at a reasonable price.

Before
This is one of those pieces that makes me long for more space, a more traditional home,
or even a double wide trailer.
I think you all know what would happen if I had more space ...

Sprayed in a soft grey

I would use it in my shabby chic livingroom for the TV console.

After
 I mixed this color using old white, provence, and graphite, all chalk paint colors.


Its a very soft grey and exactly what I wanted.

 

The hardware was all removed and painted with a flat bright white paint.


I also hand painted the all the trim details.


I sat quietly painting the white trim and occasionally I would feel the warm sun on my back as the sun played hide and seek with the clouds thru the day.


When he had the time George would come sit with me
and enjoy a few moments of the day and before he would have to run back to the kitchen,
he would always lean in and steal a kiss.


The entire piece was finished with wax and buffed to shine.


With some gentle distressing in the right places and the white against the soft grey,
the whole piece just looks amazing.


I HOPE EVERYONE HAD A HAPPY THANKSGIVING!


Sharing our holiday with:


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ADVENTURES home from florida

We are back from many adventures on our Florida
 vacation. I have many things to share with you
over the coming weeks including photos of


sunny beaches,


building architecture,


a giant wall mosaic of Cinderella,



beautiful Shabby Chic furniture,


loads of antiques,

shells, shells, and more shells,


also how to make these
flowers from beach shells,

and so much more.
This is just a small sample of thousands of photos
we took on our adventures.

Plz bare with me while life gets back to normal,
photos get sorted out, and emails get responded to.

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NO MORE PLAIN PINE CHEST another applique


I have offered how to use copper wall plaques as appliques, plastic garden fence,
metal mirror frame, and now Im suggesting you stop walking by those ornate metal napkin holders
you see in the thrift store and try using them on your next project.
Or at least buy them and stash them until you can use them.
 
 
When I use metal for appliques I pre drill small holes for finishing nails to secure them to my project.
 
 
BEFORE                                             AFTER  
 
 
I changed the hardware from a single middle handle on each drawer to two vintage oval pulls.
Everything is painted in a distressed creamy white and finished with a nice silky wax and buffing.
 
 
See how the curve of the leg continues at the end of the wood applique and with the circular
handles these are the little touches that change the shape of simple furniture.
 
 
 

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Sunday, February 23, 2014

THE JELLY IN THE DONUT white vanity with stool and mirror

There is truely a surprise hiding inside this one
and this time its not simple drawer liners.



First lets remove the old hardware.




and add some new ribbon shaped pulls, 3 floral appliques and a vintage mirror.


I rescued this mirror after it had been left out in the rain and had started coming apart
at the joints. She had to be acclimatizing to room temperature after carefully re-assembling, gluing, and clamping, but shes a beautiful portrait again every time you gaze into her. 



Okay lets get to the jelly, the hidden gem, the icing in the Oreo .....




The stool is inside! How cool is that?


and its on casters so it rolls in and out.


 
The secret is out at:
Furniture Feature Fridays
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GET UP AND GET STARTED script chairs

 
Dont wait until this happens .......
 
 
I recently saw this french provincial table on the road side in horrible condition,
I was gutted! It was long past the point of salvaging, 3 legs completely rotten, and so much filth
and damage to the rest of the table.
 
Starting a DIY project your self is really easy, the first step is to get up and go start.
Yes it is that simple and you know it. It doesnt have to big or elaborate but it has to be something
you have wanted to try.
My good friend Jen over at Jentiques recently wrote about procrastination when it came to her project list. But Ill tell you she does get up and get start more often than not and the results make her, her family, and her customers very happy.
 
 
My first furniture work shop was enlightening when one of the ladies told me that she just wanted permission, permission to paint furniture.
It came as some what of a shock to me but I suppose I also understood. I am sure once upon a time I went through those feelings but the rewards of all my DIY accomplishments have hidden away any insecurities I might have originally gone through.
My main goal to writing this blog is to get you up and get you started on your own projects,
and some of you have report back to me that you are starting, and I thank you for letting me know.
 
Im happy to report I have another batch of script chairs available for those who missed out the
first time around. There are 3 armless chairs and one is a captains chair with arms.
 
 
All painted in a creamy white, distressed and waxed, with french script fabric seats.
 



 
 

 
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