Month: May 2016

Recently my friend Donna emailed me and asked if I’d like some furniture.  She had a few random small pieces that she was going to take to Goodwill unless I wanted them.  It’s always nice when people think of me!  She and her husband (a former co-worker of mine) even delivered them to me.  It doesn’t get any better than that.

Included in the mix was a pair of small tables.

They have removable glass tops, which is kind of cool (the glass top isn’t pictured on the smaller table).  Their only flaw was that they were missing the little finials that go here …

There was a little hole that they fit into, so I could have opted to just fill the hole and go without.  I thought that would look just a little off though.  So I dug through my stash and came up with two finials that were originally used to hold a dresser mirror onto its harp.  They were the perfect size.  I just had to glue them into place.

After painting the washstand that I posted yesterday, I had just enough of that custom mixed color left over to use on the smaller table.

And it got gorgeously chippy!

The chippy-ness works on this table because it is so ornate and has such a vintage feel.  You can almost believe this is an 80 year old paint job.

People often ask me if chippy milk paint will continue to chip over time.  My answer is: it depends.  If you seal it with the Tough Coat Sealer, it shouldn’t continue to chip.  But if you just use wax or hemp oil, it will.  Go check out {this post} to see an example.  But personally I am fine with continued chipping.  It just adds more personality to the piece over time.  That’s why I chose to just use wax as the top coat on this table.  I am embracing the chippy!

When Donna gave me this table she mentioned that she pictured a stencil on the top, under the glass.  She was right, it was the perfect spot for a stencil and I just happened to have a new one that was just the right size.

I staged this little table on my front porch which is finally open for the season.  I don’t know what took me so long to get out there this year!  Usually I am out there setting it up for summer in April, and here it is almost June.

I took most of my photos with the glass top removed to cut down on glare and reflections, but the beauty of the glass top is that it will protect that chippy paint job.

But obviously you could choose to use it either way.

This little table is the perfect size for between my wicker chaise lounge and my adirondak chair on the porch, but it would also work as a small coffee table.  If I didn’t already have a fab old trunk that I use in that spot I’d be tempted to keep this there.

But I’m fond of that old trunk, so I’m planning to take this one into Reclaiming Beautiful to sell, unless someone nabs it here first!

Sometimes I am merely a copy cat.  I see something that I love on pinterest, or on another blog, and I want to do that too!  I’d like to say that I put my own spin on it, and sometimes I do, but not always.  I know that some people are quite furious when people ‘steal’ their ideas, whereas others put stuff out there for precisely that reason.  They want to inspire people, plus they realize that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

I fall in that latter category, and I’m pretty sure that Miss Mustard Seed does too and she won’t mind that I copied her.  At least I hope so.

You may have seen the sweet little washstand that Miss Mustard Seed painted to bring to Lucketts.  She painted it in a custom mix of her milk paint and she thoughtfully provided the recipe (that’s kinda why I’m pretty sure she won’t mind that I copied).  I loved this color instantly and I knew I wanted to try it on something.  I was thinking more about a full sized dresser, but then while garage saling in Linden Hills I found this fab washstand …

Well, duh, it was a no-brainer.  I hadn’t really intended to completely copy MMS right down to the washstand, but this just felt like it was meant to be.

So I mixed up my paint according to Marian’s recipe; equal parts Shutter Grey, Eulalie’s Sky and Layla’s Mint.  I like to let my milk paint settle a bit before I start to brush it on.  Especially when I’m mixing colors like this.  It’s sort of like making homemade salad dressing, you want to give the flavors some time to blend together.  So while I was waiting I removed the hardware and lightly sanded the washstand.  It’s difficult to see in the photo, but this washstand had been poorly ‘re-finished’ with a coat of shiny polyurethane.  I knew that the impervious poly would give me some serious chipping.  I wanted some chipping, but not serious chipping ;-), so I sanded.

That did the trick perfectly.

I love the scalloped edge on the back trim piece.  Isn’t it sweet?  Those are the last of my lilacs, by the way.

Washstands tend to be the perfect size to use as a bedside table.  Mr. Q has a washstand on his side of the bed, while I have a small table.

They are painted in the same color and are about the same height which helps unify them.

So, if you are on the hunt for a nightstand with some chippy, vintage farmhouse style this might be the one for you.

As always, check out my ‘available for local sale’ tab for details.

It’s not often that I need to have a do-over.  At least when it comes to pieces that I am selling.  But sometimes things just don’t sell.  And unfortunately I am one of those people (maybe we all are) who like to second guess myself.  When something doesn’t sell quickly I immediately question my own choices.  Is the color wrong?  Are the details not quite right?  Is it too chippy?  Is it not chippy enough? Should I re-paint it?

Mr. Q is always quick to jump in and remind me that I just need to wait for the right buyer.  There isn’t anything wrong with my piece of furniture, it’s just waiting for the right home.  And he is usually right (yes, I put that in writing Mr. Q)!

But sometimes I want to just tweak my design a little bit to hopefully make it more marketable.

Such is the case with my big blue hutch.  I’ve been trying to sell this guy for about 8 months now.  When I finished it last summer, it looked like this.

I’d tacked vintage wallpaper behind the glass doors.  It was gorgeous paper, but somewhat fragile as vintage wallpaper tends to be.  When I took this piece into Eye Candy ReFind to sell, the wallpaper got damaged and eventually was removed.

It stayed at Eye Candy until January, and then I moved it to Reclaiming Beautiful.  At which point it looked like this.

 Nothing behind the glass.  Which is great if someone wants to display things inside.

But it still didn’t sell.  So finally I brought it home from Reclaiming Beautiful and decided to tweak it just a bit.

Since I’m so fond of my own blue hutch with the rooster feed sack behind the doors, I decided to create some faux grain sacks for this cabinet.

I started with some grain sack striped fabric that I purchased from Decor Steals.  I cut panels so that I had one stripe down the middle of each piece.  Then I stenciled each one to mimic the look of German grain sacks.

And now the cupboard looks like this.

It has such an awesome chippy vintage farmhouse look now.

Just yesterday morning Mr. Q and I moved this piece from the photo cottage into my dining room, which is where I store finished pieces until they are either sold or taken to a shop.  After we got it in place, I just stood there and admired it for a few minutes.  It really is gorgeous.  And it looks pretty amazing next to my barnwood walls.  If I didn’t already have the rooster cupboard, I would so want to keep this one.  Mr. Q calls it a ‘statement piece’ and he says that’s why it’s taking so long to sell.  You can’t just work this into your existing decor, you have to design a whole room around it.  Maybe so.  But I’m hoping this little tweak will be the magic change that helps this one sell.

If you are local and in need of a farmhouse style hutch, check my ‘available for local sale’ tab for details.

While I was on a roll with the do-overs, I also decided to revamp this little stool.

I painted this two years ago.  It has made an appearance at a couple of my own occasional sales, but no takers.  While Mr. Q is usually right about waiting for the right buyer, in this case I knew it needed to be re-painted.  The red just wasn’t working, nor was the fabric.  I had already been thinking I’d reupholster it using the same grain sack fabric I used on the blue hutch, but was debating a paint color for the base.  Then I saw {this post} by Kristin at Hazel Mae Home.  That was all the inspiration I needed to get going on my own little stool.

I loved the dark blue paint she chose for her stool, so I used my Little Billy Goat paint in Prizewinner because I knew it would be similar.

I finished the paint with a coat of Miss Mustard Seed’s Antiquing Wax because I wanted to keep the color nice and dark.

Then I reupholstered the seat with my fabric, but first I added a stencil to it using a dark blue acrylic craft paint.

And just to give you an idea of the size of this little stool …

It’s the perfect size for tucking just under a chair and using as a foot rest.

What do you think of my do-overs?  Definitely an improvement in both cases?

Welcome to Little Speckled Frog week!  “Huh, what?” you say?

Let’s start at the beginning.  You may know that I belong to a Fusion blogger group.  Many moons ago Janice from Fred & Bessie’s recommended me to Fusion (thanks again Janice!).  They sent me some of their new paint to try out, and the rest is history.  Now I occasionally participate in blog hops with some of the other Fusion bloggers.  Sometimes I ask Fusion to sponsor hat box painting parties, like I did last winter.  And sometimes they send me colors from their new color collections to try out, like the Seaside from their Michael Penney collection.  So back in February when they sent me the supplies for the hat box party, they also sent me several jars of paint from their not-yet-released new color collection, Tones for Tots.  In case you are wondering, no, they do not pay me.  However, they do supply me with free samples of their products.  Obviously I need a t-shirt that says “Will work for paint.”

The seven new designer colors are inspired by favorite nursery rhymes.

I had some fun taking photos of the paint before I ever cracked one open.

While out shopping one day with friends, I found this adorable vintage baby shirt that had the perfect colors to match the paint.

And how funny is it that this is the tag inside?

I was under strict instructions not to post anything until the new colors had been officially launched.  That gave me some time to search for the perfect piece for a nursery.  Hmmmm.  That was harder than I thought it would be.  I found one particular piece on craigslist that would have been perfect for this project, but someone got there ahead of me and it slipped through my fingers.  Finally I decided that maybe I could just work with a small dresser, not necessarily a nursery piece, but something that could be used in a nursery or a young child’s bedroom and that’s when I found this dresser.

The before photo is not terribly exciting.

It’s not hideously awful, just kind of blah.

What you can’t see in the photo is that it needed some shoring up.  I’m going to share those details in another post this week, so stay tuned for that!

Once it was repaired, I knew it needed something to add just a little more interest.  I couldn’t just paint it one solid color and call it good.  I debated just adding a french stencil I have that says “reves doux mon enfant” which would have been appropriate for a nursery piece.  I also debated adding a damask stencil to the drawer fronts.  But in the ended I opted for a stripe and I’m so glad I did.

It was the perfect solution for adding a little extra something to this dresser and also keeping it playful for a nursery.

Later this week I’ll share a tutorial on painting stripes, but in the meantime I used the new pale green color from the Tones for Tots line called Little Speckled Frog (are you starting to get why I’m calling this Little Speckled Frog week?) as the base color and I added stripes in Fusion’s Picket Fence.

I replaced the original wooden knobs with pretty glass knobs.  I like to use a clear knob on pieces like this because it lets the stripes be the focus.

One of the reasons for the delay in releasing this new color line was that Fusion wanted to have it fully tested for safety around your little ones!  Their Tones for Tots collection meets both the Toy Safety Standards of North America and the EN71-3 Certification for Europe, so you can feel good about using these paints on pieces that are intended for a nursery.  Like all Fusion paints, Tones for Tots is zero VOC, requires little prep work and has a built-in topcoat.  Let’s face it, most new moms out there don’t have a lot of time to be fussing around with a painting project.

The Tones for Tots line will be available in stores beginning May 28, 2016.  Check out Fusion’s “where to buy” page to find a retailer near you.

I had fun finding props to use for the photos of my Speckled Frog dresser, but I suspect most of them would definitely not meet those safety standards!  I used some vintage wooden blocks and this rusty old toy truck that came from my friend Terri’s uncle.

If you are local and interested in purchasing this sweet striped dresser, please check my ‘available for local sale’ tab for details.

Otherwise, please check back later this week for more details on how Ken repaired this dresser and a tutorial on painting stripes!

You’ve all probably seen me mention that I don’t do custom work.  For the most part.  As a general rule.  Most of the time.

But I do make exceptions.  After all, rules are meant to be broken.

When I blogged about the chair that I purchased at the Bryn Mawr neighborhood sales, one of my good customers sent me an email and asked if she could have dibs on it (always worth a shot if you are so inclined).

It is totally her style, so I shouldn’t be surprised that it jumped out at her.  She likes ’em if they look a little french.  After all, she is the proud owner of this dresser …

And this bed …

So I asked her if she had a ‘look’ in mind for the chair.  She responded with some ideas and some photos of chairs she liked, and since her thoughts pretty much meshed with exactly what I wanted to do with the chair anyway … voila!  A custom job was born 😉

I had visions in my head of using milk paint on this chair and getting a deliciously chippy finish.  That being said, I should have known better based on experience.  Here’s why.  I was painting over existing paint.  Since I wanted to see some wood where the chair was distressed (and not that weird mustard yellow that came on parts of the chair), I sanded the existing paint job pretty heavily.  Down to the bare wood along most of the edges in fact.  That heavy sanding helped the milk paint to stick and not chip.

So, it was a trade-off, no chipping in exchange for not seeing mustard yellow.  I can live with that.

I painted the chair in Miss Mustard Seed’s Linen milk paint.  Then I sanded to distress and added a protective layer of MMS furniture wax.

The details on the back of the chair look amazing.

Ken cut a new seat for me and I upholstered it in some faux grain sack material that I purchased via Decor Steals.

I added a French stencil in black.

All this chair needed was just a little time and attention to bring it back to its full glory.

I think this chair is going to be right at home with Jen’s other fabulous french pieces, don’t you?

Sharing at Friday’s Furniture Fix and Making Broken Beautiful.