My mom and dad have a great screened in porch that they use frequently, and I think this will work perfectly out there... just need to go buy a candle! Happy Birthday Mom!
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Friday, June 19, 2015
A Work of Love
This dresser was a work of love on more levels than one. I fell in love with this ugly old yellow thing the minute I saw it. Over coffee one morning with my dear, dear friend Erin, I showed her a picture of it and it was love at first sight for her too.
Later that day, I got a text from her saying, "I am slightly obsessed with that dresser. Can you send me the picture to show my mom and Brad? Can I hire you to paint it?"
My heart stopped. I was beyond excited that I was going to get to paint this beauty, and beyond touched that my friend trusted me to do it!
She chose a color that made me even happier. It was so fun to watch it's transformation. I loved every minute I worked on this. And loved it even more because I was doing it for a great friend. She and her husband will be buying a new house in the near future, and I'm honored to have worked on one of the pieces of furniture that will make it a home!
I was originally going to paint some light gray accents around the borders but I really loved the idea of having some of that original yellow and white show through. As I was typing this, my 6 year old peered over my shoulder and asked, "What's that?" I told him it was the dresser I had been painting all week and escorted him into the dining room to see the finished product.
He said, "You missed a few spots."
I tried to explain to him that it was "distressed", so the layers could show through and even though it was made to look new, it gave it some of it's old character and personality.
He was not impressed.
What does he know? Check out these knobs! They just made this piece pop!!! And that yellow/gray combo??? LOVE it!!
Thank you Erin, for putting your faith in me to do this for you and for your encouraging words this past week. I can't wait to see it in your future new home!!!
Later that day, I got a text from her saying, "I am slightly obsessed with that dresser. Can you send me the picture to show my mom and Brad? Can I hire you to paint it?"
My heart stopped. I was beyond excited that I was going to get to paint this beauty, and beyond touched that my friend trusted me to do it!
She chose a color that made me even happier. It was so fun to watch it's transformation. I loved every minute I worked on this. And loved it even more because I was doing it for a great friend. She and her husband will be buying a new house in the near future, and I'm honored to have worked on one of the pieces of furniture that will make it a home!
I was originally going to paint some light gray accents around the borders but I really loved the idea of having some of that original yellow and white show through. As I was typing this, my 6 year old peered over my shoulder and asked, "What's that?" I told him it was the dresser I had been painting all week and escorted him into the dining room to see the finished product.
He said, "You missed a few spots."
I tried to explain to him that it was "distressed", so the layers could show through and even though it was made to look new, it gave it some of it's old character and personality.
He was not impressed.
What does he know? Check out these knobs! They just made this piece pop!!! And that yellow/gray combo??? LOVE it!!
Thank you Erin, for putting your faith in me to do this for you and for your encouraging words this past week. I can't wait to see it in your future new home!!!
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Flaws and All...
I swear my nightstand whispered to me as I was painting her these past few days. "Step back," she urged, quietly begging me to put my brush down and step away from the table. As much as she enjoyed her makeover, I think if she could have, she would have screamed, "Enough already!" Instead, she graciously let me sand and paint and scrutinize her every last detail. She let me get so close to her curves and grooves, I got paint dust in my eyes. She patiently let me judge every detail of her body and soul, until finally I put the brush down and stepped back. What I saw was pretty cool.
It's funny the life lessons I'm learning through these projects that have nothing to do with sandpaper, paint and wax. This week, the Universe made it clear that sometimes you just need to take a step back and look at the big picture to see its beauty. Sometimes we get so up close and personal with our feelings, judgments and scrutiny that we lose sight of the good stuff. We criticize our family and friends for the little things they didn't do and forget to notice all of the things they did. We are quick to discipline our kids and sometimes overlook their good behavior. We judge strangers without knowing the full story. And worse, we look so closely at ourselves, we sometimes go cross-eyed from the self-criticism. If you look at anything too closely, you are going to find flaws. Nothing and nobody is perfect. I fretted over every nook and cranny of this table. I found every imperfection in my brush stroke, and questioned every placement of distressing. Was it too much? Not enough? The poor table must have felt so exposed! It wasn't until I heard her silent pleading to back off that I saw how great she looked. And furthermore, her imperfections are what made her perfect. At least to me.
What I learned was that I wasn't just asking "Is this nightstand good enough?", but "Am I"? Wouldn't it be great if we took a step back today from all of our judgments and criticisms, of each other and ourselves? Instead of looking so closely at each other's faults and at our own imperfections, what if we saw the beauty of things from a broader point of view?
My nightstand and I are about to have a cup of coffee before I move her to new home in the guest room. And I'm not even going to use a coaster!
It's funny the life lessons I'm learning through these projects that have nothing to do with sandpaper, paint and wax. This week, the Universe made it clear that sometimes you just need to take a step back and look at the big picture to see its beauty. Sometimes we get so up close and personal with our feelings, judgments and scrutiny that we lose sight of the good stuff. We criticize our family and friends for the little things they didn't do and forget to notice all of the things they did. We are quick to discipline our kids and sometimes overlook their good behavior. We judge strangers without knowing the full story. And worse, we look so closely at ourselves, we sometimes go cross-eyed from the self-criticism. If you look at anything too closely, you are going to find flaws. Nothing and nobody is perfect. I fretted over every nook and cranny of this table. I found every imperfection in my brush stroke, and questioned every placement of distressing. Was it too much? Not enough? The poor table must have felt so exposed! It wasn't until I heard her silent pleading to back off that I saw how great she looked. And furthermore, her imperfections are what made her perfect. At least to me.
What I learned was that I wasn't just asking "Is this nightstand good enough?", but "Am I"? Wouldn't it be great if we took a step back today from all of our judgments and criticisms, of each other and ourselves? Instead of looking so closely at each other's faults and at our own imperfections, what if we saw the beauty of things from a broader point of view?
My nightstand and I are about to have a cup of coffee before I move her to new home in the guest room. And I'm not even going to use a coaster!
The Before...
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
3 Little Gems
I found these 3 little treasures and I almost couldn't bring myself to paint them... that ugly gold started growing on me, and I considered leaving them alone... but I didn't! (I will admit I let a couple little gold flecks peek through though!)
They turned out great! I tried two different techniques on these, including double layering and sanding, and dry brushing. Can you tell which is which?
I can't wait to hang them up in my new guest room. Of course, unless someone claims them. Keep in mind that 99% of the items I post are for sale!
They turned out great! I tried two different techniques on these, including double layering and sanding, and dry brushing. Can you tell which is which?
I can't wait to hang them up in my new guest room. Of course, unless someone claims them. Keep in mind that 99% of the items I post are for sale!
The Dry Sink
This old Ethan Allen piece has been around for YEARS and has probably been in 75% of the rooms in my parents' house. Most recently, though, I found it shoved in the back of their basement (next to my old white brass bed which I also kidnapped), covered in mold and scratches.
Since it's technically on loan, I promised not to paint it, but I cleaned it up, touched it up and bought some new knobs for it and it looks great in my dining room now!!
Since it's technically on loan, I promised not to paint it, but I cleaned it up, touched it up and bought some new knobs for it and it looks great in my dining room now!!
Monday, June 8, 2015
The Beginning
I've been dabbling in a new creative endeavor for about a year now, so I thought it would be nice to get organized and start documenting my projects.
It all started when I decided to make a wooden sign from an old piece of barn wood to give my mom for her 70th Birthday. It turned out better than I expected and I had so much fun making it, I kept going.
Actually, now that I think about it, that's not true. It started when my husband and I first got married. We bought a pair of unfinished bookshelves and a kitchen table with chairs, which we spent a good part of our first Christmas Week together sanding, staining and shellacking ... And they are still standing, ten years and two kids later!
Here's one of the first signs I made, which I ended up giving to my friend as part of her bridal shower gift...
Then I did this....
The pictures aren't great but I just fell in love with this color and the distressed look of the stain coming through.
Since then, I've moved onto some bigger projects and chalk paint has become my best friend! Here's a before and after of an awesome old chair I found at Goodwill that I refinished in a light gray. I'm turning our spare bedroom into a little shabby chic room with my old white brass bed, which I recently confiscated from my parents' basement...
And I bought an old end table that I'm going to work on next. Probably going to stick to the same color as the chair. I'm waiting for my new Tommy Hilfiger Comforter to be delivered (tomorrow! yay!) so I can make the final decision. The only thing holding me back is this darker gray color (right) that I'm doing on these old picture frames which I love, love, love....
It all started when I decided to make a wooden sign from an old piece of barn wood to give my mom for her 70th Birthday. It turned out better than I expected and I had so much fun making it, I kept going.
Actually, now that I think about it, that's not true. It started when my husband and I first got married. We bought a pair of unfinished bookshelves and a kitchen table with chairs, which we spent a good part of our first Christmas Week together sanding, staining and shellacking ... And they are still standing, ten years and two kids later!
Here's one of the first signs I made, which I ended up giving to my friend as part of her bridal shower gift...
Then I did this....
Since then, I've moved onto some bigger projects and chalk paint has become my best friend! Here's a before and after of an awesome old chair I found at Goodwill that I refinished in a light gray. I'm turning our spare bedroom into a little shabby chic room with my old white brass bed, which I recently confiscated from my parents' basement...
And I bought an old end table that I'm going to work on next. Probably going to stick to the same color as the chair. I'm waiting for my new Tommy Hilfiger Comforter to be delivered (tomorrow! yay!) so I can make the final decision. The only thing holding me back is this darker gray color (right) that I'm doing on these old picture frames which I love, love, love....
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