Happy New Year!

Will you be heading out to a festive party for New Year’s?  Sipping champagne and toasting the start of 2016?  Sharing a moment with someone special at midnight?

I love the fresh start that comes with a new year.  This year I am determined to live healthier.  Eat more fruits and veggies and skip fewer workouts.  I also like to set a ‘skill improvement goal’ of sorts for myself every year.  In 2014 my goal was to improve my stripping and staining abilities.

Check!

My goal for 2015 was to improve my reupholstering skills.  Hmmm.  Not so much of a ‘check’.  I managed a few chairs that were fairly basic.

My friend Sue actually did the sewing of the seat cushion slip covers, I simply reupholstered the arms.

Hardly much at all, yet it took me forever to accomplish.

And I never did get around to upholstering that settee that I picked up.  It’s still on my to-do list.

And that brings us to 2016.  My goal this year is to improve my photography skills.  Currently my ability to take a good photo hinges upon perfect lighting conditions.  I need to learn how to get good photos even when conditions aren’t perfect.  To assist me in this endeavor, Mr. Q has gifted me with a new tripod and a remote shutter release for my camera.  I also plan to take some online classes.

I also plan to bring back more “quandie quickies” for 2016.  In other words, quick makeovers that can be accomplished in less than an hour.  I’ve been piling up some goodies that are scheduled for a quick makeover, like these wooden divided bowls (trays?) …

and this green metal box.

How about you, do you have goals for the New Year?

But wait!  Before we officially move forward into 2016, let’s take a moment to reflect back on 2015.  I’ve picked out my fave five pieces from last year.

I painted this vanity back in January.  It was inspired by a piece of furniture I saw in Nina Hartmann’s book, among vintage & friends.  I loved the touches of black and how perfectly chippy this piece was.

I used Miss Mustard Seed milk paint in Grain Sack (the greyish white) and Typewriter (the black) on this piece.  I recovered the bench with linen that I stenciled.

I also painted this next piece way back in January.  It’s my Rooster Cupboard!  This is the only one of my favorites that I kept for myself.  It works perfectly in my Q Branch as storage for crafting supplies.

I still smile a little inside every time I catch a glimpse of that rooster on the grain sack lining the glass doors and I love the pop of the Miss Mustard Seed Flow Blue milk paint.

I must have been having a great run of pieces last winter because my next fave is from February.  It’s the Paris bed.  I painted this gorgeous bed for a customer.  She wanted a creamy white, which ended up being the perfect choice for this piece.

To me this piece was the perfect example of a chalk paint project.  I painted the bed in Cece Caldwell’s Vintage White and used her Aging Cream dark wax to highlight the details.

My next favorite sort of flew under the radar I think.  It’s the union jack school desk that I painted back in April.  I used Fusion paint on this one which worked beautifully on the shiny surface of the desk top, as well as inside the metal cubby hole.

I really loved the way this turned out.  I thought it would be perfect as a small bedside table.  I considered keeping it for my guest room, but in the end I brought it to Eye Candy ReFind.  Then it didn’t sell.  And didn’t sell.  And didn’t sell.  I started to think that I really would be keeping it, but it finally sold at the end of November.  It was just waiting for the right person to come along!

My final fave is the green French farmhouse dresser that I painted in July.  I absolutely love this In a Pickle green milk paint from Sweet Pickins.  I think the brightness of the color provides a fresh, modern take on the chippy vintage farmhouse style.

This is another piece that just hasn’t managed to sell.  I suspect that I need to find a courageous buyer who isn’t afraid of adding a pop of brilliant color to a space.  I can totally see this piece in a mostly white room, or how about in a room paired with some Rachel Ashwell shabby chic florals?

Check out my fab furniture tab and pick out your favorite for 2015!  I’d love to know what it was.

In the meantime, I will raise my glass and toast to a happy and healthy New Year!  I know 2016 is going to be amazing.