Category: furniture.

Furniture transformations.

the truffle bar stools.

Published on by Quandie21 Comments

This summer I’ve been trying to make an effort to go through things that have been stored upstairs in the carriage house for too long.

I’ll be honest, I haven’t made much headway.  Somehow there’s always something more fun to do.

However, I did manage to drag this set of three bar stools down the stairs and into my workshop a few weeks back.

I don’t remember exactly when I purchased these, except that it was before I was retired.  So … yeah … at least 4 years ago.  I seriously considered putting them at the curb with a free sign on them.  But then I thought, no, just bite the bullet and paint them.

I originally planned to paint them black, and then add a Swiss cross to the seats like the stool I painted a few weeks back.  To that end, after cleaning them up, I gave them each a coat of Rust-Oleum’s spray black primer.  I even got so far as to paint the first chair in Dixie Belle’s Midnight Sky.

But I just didn’t love how the stool looked in black.  Then a little voice in my head said ‘hey, why not try out one of the new Dixie Belle Silk All-In-One paint colors instead?’

I picked Truffle because it’s a lovely, rich neutral.

The Silk line of paint has a built in primer and top coat, so technically I didn’t need to prime these bar stools.  But it was already done, and I’m not mad about it.  These stools had that shiny factory finish look to them, so a little extra primer just made it that much easier for the Silk paint to stick.

Each chair got two coats of the Truffle.

Then, inspiration struck.  I saw a post on Iron Orchid Design’s Instagram showing a set of cutting boards that were painted by Jonathon Marc Mendes.  If you haven’t ever seen his work, you should check out his Instagram account,  I really admire his style.

You might be wondering how a trio of cutting boards could inspire a set of barstools.

But it was the way he used the I.O.D. Gregory’s Catalogue paint inlay that caught my eye.  He just used parts of it rather than using the entire design.  And I happened to have that particular paint inlay on hand, so I thought why not try this look on the barstool seats.

So that’s what I did.

FYI, the paint inlay worked perfectly with the Silk paint (which is an acrylic paint).  One tip I’ve read is to not wait too long to remove the inlay’s paper backing.  Unlike chalk paint, acrylic paint is not reactivated with water and may not release the paper backing of the paint inlay as easily if left too long.  After applying the inlay into wet paint, I let it dry for about 30 minutes before wetting the paper back down and peeling off the backing (for full paint inlay instructions, head to this post).

After spraying the seats of the chairs with Rust-Oleum matte spray sealer to keep the inlay from smearing, I then sanded the edges of the chairs to distress them.

Finally, I decided I wanted to add just a little more depth to the Truffle color with dark wax.  So I blended some of Dixie Belle’s Brown wax with some of their Big Mama’s Butta.  The addition of the Butta helps the wax go on more evenly, and makes it easier to blend.  It also mellows the look of the brown wax a bit.

Here’s a look at the difference between a stool with the wax (on left), and one without (on right).

So even though the Silk paint doesn’t require a top coat, you absolutely can add one for aesthetic reasons like I’ve done here.  That brown wax really added some depth to the Truffle paint.

I realize that the look of the partial typography on each stool is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but I think it’s pretty fun.

What do you think?

This trio of bar stools is for sale locally, so check out my ‘available for local sale‘ page for more info if interested.

Thank you to Dixie Belle for providing their products used in today’s makeover.

mini garden furniture.

Published on by Quandie4 Comments

Aside from the fairy garden, I haven’t spent any time working on miniatures this summer.

The plan was to work on the porches and the garden of my dollhouse, but I think I’ve realized that mini’s are going to be more of a winter thing for me.

That being said, I have been accumulating stuff for the dollhouse porches.

I purchased this unfinished patio set at Hobby Lobby sometime last year.

When I had my milk paint out for another project recently, I decided to go ahead and paint these up at the same time.

I began by giving all four pieces a base coat of Dixie Belle’s Coffee Bean so that I would have something to distress my final coat of milk paint back to other than raw wood.

Next I mixed up some Sweet Pickens Milk Paint in a color called Pantry Door.  I had a sample packet that I purchased from The Painted Heirloom for $7.  The little sample packets work great for painting miniatures, and it’s a fun way to try out new colors.

After applying two coats of the milk paint, I sanded the pieces with 220 grit sandpaper to distress them.  I tried to only sand back to that darker Coffee Bean layer, and I mostly succeeded.

Of course, there are also some spots where I went too far.

But that’s OK, I still love how they turned out.

I staged them out in the fairy garden.

But I didn’t put any sort of top coat over the milk paint, so they definitely wouldn’t really hold up outside.  They’ll be fine on the porch of the dollhouse though, when I get to it.

Speaking of the fairy garden, I was out there doing a little pruning the other day and was amazed at how much some of the plants have taken off.

Remember the miniature hostas that I purchased at a garage sale back in June?

Here’s the Pandora’s Box in June when I planted it …

And here is it now.

And, in fact, I even divided this one initially breaking up the one plant I purchased into two plants.  Here’s the 2nd one …

This is one of the things I love about planting divisions from someone v. a new plant from a nursery.  They usually have a very established root system and the plant will fill out much more quickly.

Sadly, now that I have jumping worms in my garden, I can no longer easily share my own plants in this way.  Granted, I could share them if I carefully washed off all of the dirt that could contain jumping worm cocoons.  But personally, I’d rather not take the chance of giving others jumping worms.

That being said, I already have jumping worms so I’m not so concerned about bringing them in on garage sale plants.  Maybe that’s a mistake, I don’t know.  Bottom line; don’t risk it in your garden.  Do as I say, not as I do.

But I digress, this post was supposed to be about miniature patio furniture.

Coming soon I’ll share the bistro set that I painted up for the porch, I can’t share it quite yet because I used a new color from the Dixie Belle Silk paint line.  I have to wait for the official reveal before I can share that with you.  But stay tuned, because this color is quickly becoming my new favorite!

the blue grass chair.

Published on by Quandie6 Comments

It’s time for another do-over project.

Usually I call for a do-over when an item isn’t selling, but in this case I’m making over an item that I originally painted for myself and used for many years.

This is your classic child sized schoolhouse chair.  It started out looking like this …

I used this chair regularly both while painting furniture, and also while taking photos of furniture.  It put me right at the perfect height for both.

Then back in 2017 I decided to give it a paint job using Fusion’s Putty.

That made it more presentable to have around the house when I wasn’t using it.

But that was 8 years ago!  Wow, time flies.  It had gotten pretty beat up, splattered with paint, and just basically dirty since then.  Furthermore, I rarely actually use it these days so it was just collecting dust out in my workshop.

So I decided to give it a fresh look before listing it for sale.

I started by giving it a good cleaning first, then I sanded down the stenciled design on the seat and gave the entire chair a couple of coats of Dixie Belle’s Blue Grass.

The Blue Grass is from Dixie Belle’s line of chalk style paint, and it went on beautifully over that original Fusion acrylic paint.

Once the paint dried, I sanded the edges of the chair to distress the paint back to that Putty color.

This is always something to keep in mind when you paint over another paint color and you like to distress your pieces.  That original color is going to show.  I think it works on this chair though.

Next up I added a portion of the I.O.D. Label Ephemera transfer to the seat.

I finished it off with a coat of Dixie Belle’s clear wax, and then I staged some photos in my garden using some vintage books.

This chair is going in the pile of merch that I’m readying for my fall Carriage House sale.  I’m tentatively aiming for the first Saturday in October for the sale, so if you’re local, pencil it in!

But I’ll also list it on my ‘available for local sale‘ page in case any of you locals are interested in it now.

As always, thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for the products used in this makeover!

a makeshift cupboard.

Published on by Quandie18 Comments

I purchased this vintage cupboard at a garage sale back in early May.

It was dirt cheap and I thought it would make a fun painting project.

The seller said that it was originally used for record album storage, but at some point someone added makeshift drawers to the interior which you’ll see in a minute.

After gluing down some loose veneer, I began by trying to decide whether to use Dixie Belle’s Smoky Mountains or Blue Grass.

The Blue Grass is one of their new chalk paint colors, while the Smoky Mountains is from their All-in-One Silk paint line.  The colors are quite similar with the Blue Grass being just a little bit lighter.

Ultimately, I chose to go with the Silk paint with its built in top-coat simply so that I could save that added step.  Although this cupboard is on the small side, there was a lot of painting involved since I painted the interior and each drawer fully as well.

Although the Silk paint also has a built in primer that should block stains, I opted to be absolutely sure that the original reddish colored stain on this piece wouldn’t bleed through my paint by applying a coat of Dixie Belle’s Bonding Boss first.  I only did that on the outside of the cabinet because the inside wasn’t stained.

Once my paint was fully dry, I applied I.O.D.’s Joie des Roses transfer.

The transfer was actually a couple of inches taller than the cupboard, so before applying it I laid it out to make sure I wouldn’t be cutting off anything important at the top, like the top of a bird’s head or something.  In the end I only cut off the tips of a couple of flower buds, which was fine.

The transfer also wrapped almost all the way around each side.

It was fairly easy to accomplish this since this transfer comes on 8 separate sheets.

I’ve seen some complaints online about the seams between each sheet and how they can be rather obvious, but I think I got most of them fairly well disguised.  You can see them if you look closely …

but I think the faux crackle look of the transfer helps make them seem like part of the design too.

Although the Silk paint doesn’t require a top coat, the transfer does.  So once I had it in place I added a quick coat of Dixie Belle’s clear wax over it.  I did not wax the inside or top of the cupboard.

And with that it was done.

It’s definitely a unique piece, but I could see using it to store extra linens … or possible even as a lingerie cupboard.  It would also work well to store your Dixie Belle paint or other craft supplies.  It would fit nicely into a bathroom to hold the extra t.p. or other toiletries too.

What would you use it for?  Leave a comment and let me know.

This cupboard is for sale locally, so be sure to check out my ‘available for local sale‘ page if interested in the details.

free from all irritating matter.

Published on by Quandie6 Comments

First up, congrats to Sue P. who won my Brandywine Valley giveaway!  Thank you to everyone who took the time to leave a comment, I wish you could all be winners 🙂

I picked up this stool while out garage saling a few weeks back.

It’s just your typical shop stool, but it’s got a vintage vibe that I like.

After giving it a good cleaning, I first painted the entire thing in Dixie Belle’s Midnight Sky.

It seems like whenever I mention this paint color, at least one reader thinks it’s a dark blue based on the name.  It’s not.  It’s a soft black.  Not quite as black as Dixie Belle’s Caviar, but still black.  Here’s a comparison of a few of the different shades of black available from Dixie Belle that I did back in 2021.

The Anchor is from DB’s Silk Paint line (ie. a 3 in 1 acrylic paint with built in primer and top coat) and you can see that it has a little more sheen than the two chalk paint options.

Anyway …

I painted the stool with two coats of the Midnight Sky, then once fully dry I taped off a Swiss cross on the seat and painted it with DB’s Drop Cloth.

Then I decided to add just a little something extra.  I applied one of I.O.D.’s Floriography paint inlays to the seat.

At first I thought the wording on the inlay didn’t really work on a shop stool, but I liked the look of it anyway.

But then I thought, hey, the Swiss cross has long been a symbol denoting a pharmacy.  Originally they were red, until the Red Cross sort of commandeered it.  Now throughout Europe if you see a green Swiss cross you know immediately that it’s a pharmacy regardless of whatever language is written on the sign.

So … maybe this is an old stool from the Pacific Homeopathic Pharmacy in San Francisco advertising their Cocoanut Cream.

Apparently it’s the most elegant face dressing in the world.  And it’s also entirely free from all irritating matter.  Who couldn’t use a little more of that in their life?

After first sealing the paint inlay with some Rust-Oleum matte spray sealer (always seal your paint inlay before rubbing over it in any way), I then sanded spots here and there to add some faux wear.  Then I applied a coat of Dixie Belle’s Big Mama’s Butta over the entire stool.

And that’s it.

I’m a pretty big fan of stools in general.  Currently I have 4 in my own home.  They are great for tucking into a spot that just needs something, like the space between my pantry door and my bathroom door.

  They also make a good nightstand in a pinch.

They work well as plant stands.

And they also make a great perch for a big stack of books.

So if any of you local readers think you have a good spot for a stool, this Swiss cross stool is for sale.  Check out my ‘available for local sale‘ page for more details.

Thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for supplying their products used in this makeover.

the $4 desk.

Published on by Quandie12 Comments

Boy oh boy, it felt good to work on an actual piece of furniture again!  It has been awhile.

You may remember that I found this shabby, primitive desk at a garage sale a couple of weeks back, and I only paid a whopping $4 for it!

It was definitely in rough shape.  And it got even rougher after I dropped the drawer on the pavement while loading it up in the car.  It broke into more pieces than I would have thought possible.

The desk itself was super wonky too, it definitely had some loose joints.

So the drawer went to Ken’s workshop to be repaired, and in the meantime I glued up all of the joints and now the desk feels quite sturdy.

I had initially thought I would try to salvage the original chippy paint finish by just cleaning it really well, but after spending about 15 minutes cleaning just one 3″ x 3″ section I decided that was going to require way too much effort for minimal results.  It would be so much easier to just paint it, and then distress it back again.

I really liked the original color, which was sort of a pale blue-green, so I decided to stick with a similar palette.  After going through all of my paint looking for a suitable candidate, I pulled out one of Dixie Belle’s new colors called Olive Wood.

It definitely doesn’t have as much blue in it as the original color, it’s more of a pale grey green rather than a blue green.  It has that perfect primitive vibe though, and I thought it would work beautifully on this desk.

I prepped the piece for paint by giving it a scuff sanding with 220 grit sandpaper, followed by a good cleaning with TSP substitute.

I followed that up with two coats of Olive Wood.  Once dry, I sanded with 220 grit paper again to distress the edges and smooth out the finish.

You’ll notice that I didn’t paint the top.  In fact, I didn’t do anything to the top except give it a good cleaning.

I think that the scratches and ink stains speak to a life well-lived for this desk.

Plus, if I haven’t already mentioned it, I plan to hang onto this desk to use as a display piece for the Carriage House Sale.  So the only person who has to like the end result is me.

Once the drawer came back from Ken’s workshop, I removed the old knobs (one was broken in half) and found a different pair of wood knobs to paint up and add.

As a final touch, I added one of the paint inlays from I.O.D.’s Floriography collection to the front of the drawer.

After a quick spray with Rust-Oleum matte spray sealer over the inlay, I gave the entire desk a final topcoat of Dixie Belle’s clear wax.

I love how it turned out, a sweet, rustic, slightly primitive writing desk.

It will be perfect for displaying other items for sale at our next Carriage House Sale, although I’ll probably pop a price tag on it just in case someone is in the market for a simple desk.

Thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for providing their products used on this desk.

a swiss cross stool.

Published on by Quandie12 Comments

Back in early November my friend opK and I found a couple of garage sales to check out on an unseasonably warm-ish Thursday.  I didn’t find much to buy, but I did bring home this metal stool.

The sale I found it at really wasn’t your typical garage sale.  It was held in someone’s garage, but they had a lot of antiques and the prices were more akin to a shop rather than a garage sale.

But that being said, this stool was one of the few bargains they had at $10.

I was really drawn to the industrial look of the casters, but I didn’t love the primer grey spray paint job that someone had given it.

It was a bit blah.

So after a good cleaning, I sanded the seat top to remove any flaking paint and rust.  Next, after wiping away any remaining dust with a damp cloth, I gave the stool a coat of Dixie Belle’s Bonding Boss in clear.  It will inhibit any future rust, and also improve the adhesion of my paint.  I like to use the clear version when I’m planning to distress a piece.  I definitely don’t want to see white underneath when I spot sand to distress it.

Next up I painted the stool in Dixie Belle’s Midnight Sky.  Then I taped off a Swiss cross, and painted it in Drop Cloth.

I used those holes in the top of the stool as a guide for centering my cross.  I also used a carpenter’s square to get my angles right.

I didn’t want the stool to look freshly painted, so I used some 220 grit sandpaper to sand back the paint in areas that I thought would be naturally worn over time.

This is where that clear Bonding Boss comes into play.

I finished the stool with some of Dixie Belle’s clear wax.

Now, you may have noticed that this stool is kinda short.  It’s not really the right height for sitting on it at a table, and of course it’s definitely not bar stool height.

Initially I thought that the height would make it perfect to use as a plant stand for a taller Norfolk Island Pine that I have.

But I quickly realized that there wasn’t much point in that Swiss cross design on the top if I was just going to put a plant on it.

In the end, this stool is really the perfect height for me to sit on while cleaning out lower cabinets, or while digging through my stash of scrapbook paper that I store on a lower shelf.  So for now I’m just going to hang onto it.

What do you think of this simple makeover?  Leave a comment and let me know.

 

the tate modern credenza.

Published on by Quandie26 Comments

I know it was a while back, but do any of you remember when I reviewed Amy Howard’s book Rescue, Restore, Redecorate?

There was a chartreuse green credenza in her book that I absolutely loved.

At the time I mentioned that I’d love to copy that look.

Well, I haven’t quite been brave enough to attempt it on a full sized piece of furniture, but how about a miniature one?

I found this fun mid-mod dollhouse credenza called the Tate Modern Sideboard Dresser at The Modern Dollhouse.

It seemed like the perfect candidate for a bright pop of yellow-ish green, and I had just the color in my stash.

That is Dixie Belle’s Everglades.

It’s not exactly the same shade as that Amy Howard color, but it’s close enough for me.

I painted the outside, and also inside the doors on the left.

To add just a little bit more interest, I used a tiny brush to apply Dixie Belle’s Gilding Wax in Gold to the ‘handles’ and the feet.

Just for fun I decided to create a few miniature boxes of vintage ornaments to stage my credenza.

First up, I downloaded the printable designs from Easy Print & Cut on Etsy for $2.85.

Next I used the templates provided to cut a piece of foam core board to build my box around.  Then after a lot of teeny tiny cutting and folding, I glued the paper around my foam core ‘boxes’.

Yeah, I’m definitely going to need more practice for teeny tiny paper folding projects like this one.  But for my first attempt I don’t think they’re too bad.

FYI, the floor lamp is also from The Modern Dollhouse.

I have to laugh at myself because first of all, I forgot that it actually works.  So I took all of my photos without it on.

Then I thought, ‘wait, doesn’t this actually light up?’  I searched all over it trying to figure out where the switch was and I couldn’t find it.  Then I looked on the The Modern Dollhouse website to make sure I wasn’t imagining that it lit up.  Eventually I did find the little bitty switch at the base of the lamp.

Then I re-took all of my photos with the lamp on.

This piece will eventually find its way into my dollhouse renovation, most likely in the attic rec room.  Or possibly one of the upstairs hallways.

What do you think of a chartreuse credenza?  Would you be brave enough to use this color on a full-sized piece of furniture?  Leave a comment and let me know.

santa’s workshop cupboard.

Published on by Quandie12 Comments

Remember this little red cupboard that I snagged out of a free pile at a garage sale this summer?

It was such a fun find!

You can’t really tell from that photo above, but one of the upper cabinet doors was cracked where the hinges were screwed in.  So I decided to simply remove both of the upper doors.  I used Dixie Belle’s Mud to fill in the holes where the hinge screws were.

After then giving it a good cleaning and a bit of sanding to smooth out some flaws, I applied two coats of Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth.  That gave me a blank canvas to start with.

I ultimately decided that it would be fun to give it a Christmas look, so I went through my stash of stencils and transfers but didn’t find anything that would fit on that lower cabinet door.  So then I started looking for a new stencil to purchase.  The Santa’s Workshop stencil from Three Birds Stencils looked like just the ticket.  I was able to choose from a variety of sizes, and there was an option that would fit my door perfectly.

Once my stencil arrived in the mail, I added it to the lower cabinet door using Dixie Belle’s English Ivy.

After sealing all of the painted surfaces with some clear wax, I swapped out the knob on the door for a pretty little glass knob that was in my stash.

I then added some decorative paper to the back of the shelves on top

and the bottom of the shelves in the lower part of the cupboard.

It worked out perfectly that the inside width of the cupboard was exactly 12″, a.k.a. the size of my October Afternoon scrapbook paper.

How frickin’ adorable is that?

I think there are two potential markets for this little cupboard.  First, obviously someone could purchase it as a Christmas present for a child.  How fabulous would it be to have that waiting under the tree on Christmas morning?  But I also think it would be awesome as Christmas decor.  Hang it on the wall, or place it on a sideboard or dresser, and fill it with your non-collection of vintage Santa mugs.

Oh boy, now I’m starting to talk myself into keeping it … and going on the hunt for Santa mugs.

But no, this piece is for sale locally.  Be sure to hit up my ‘available for local sale‘ page for more details.

As for the rest of you, let me know what you think of this little cupboard in a comment, and let me know what you would display in it!

french country cottage style.

Published on by Quandie12 Comments

I’ve decided on a design style for my dollhouse, French Country Cottage.  With it’s muted color palette of creamy white and warm earthy neutrals, it’s right up my alley.  I may also throw in a few pale French blues, and maybe even a hint of gold here and there.

Of course I’ll be using my favorite warm white, Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth, throughout.  But I also plan to throw in some French Linen, Dried Sage, and Gravel Road.  Maybe a little Sawmill Gravy too.

I’d like to use Miss Mustard Seed’s Aviary for the blue, but I don’t have any of that on hand so I may just try to mix something custom.  We’ll see.

With my style choice in mind, I’ve completed my first mini furniture makeover.

I purchased this dining set from Hobby Lobby for a mere $9.99.

After doing just a little bit of gentle hand sanding around the edges of the chair backs to clean them up a bit, I gave the chairs and the base of the table a coat of Dixie Belle’s Dried Sage.

This is one of my favorite neutral shades from Dixie Belle.  It’s a warm greenish gray, and it always dries a little darker than I think it will.

While the base coat of Dried Sage was drying, I created a wash using Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth paint and some water.  I’m not sure of the precise ratios, maybe 75% water to 25% paint or so.  I then painted the upholstered seats that came with the set using that wash.

They were just a tad too white for my taste.

Once the fabric was dry, I taped off some grain sack lines and dried brushed them with the Dried Sage.  I didn’t get all fancy with measuring or anything, I just eye-balled them.  I painted the middle line first, then once dry, I taped off and painted the two outer lines.

Once that was dry I added the re-design with prima knob transfers from the French Maison set.  I followed that up with a light coat of Dixie Belle’s clear wax.

Before gluing the cushions onto the chairs, I gave the chairs a quick dry brush with the Drop Cloth paint to lighten them up a bit and add some depth.

I also added a dry brushed coat of Drop Cloth over the Dried Sage on the table base.

As for the table top, I went back to that watered down Drop Cloth and applied it as a wash by brushing it on, and then wiping most of it away with a rag before it dried.

I finished that off with a coat of clear wax as well.

Although I do think the table turned out quite nice, I’m not sure I want an oval table in the dining room of my dollhouse.  I also don’t think this table has the right ‘country’ feel.  So for that reason, I also purchased a 2nd dining room set at Hobby Lobby.

This one was only $7.99.  It came with the perfect farmhouse table,

but I don’t love the chairs.

But for less than $20 I could buy both sets, so I did.

I will likely find somewhere else to use those chairs, maybe in the kitchen.

In the meantime I’m going to paint up the farmhouse table following the same recipe I used on the oval table.  You’ll just have to stay tuned to find out which one I eventually use in the dining room.

As I’ve mentioned previously, this weekend my sister, niece and I are heading off to visit my mom.  We’re also throwing in a side trip to Disneyland in California.  I really thought we’d be safe going to Mom’s in early October, but last I checked, the high on Saturday is supposed to be 104°, I am not looking forward to that.  Fortunately the pool in her townhome complex will be open.

I decided to take a bit of a blog break and not schedule any posts while I’m gone.  But while I’m away, here’s a question for you.  Do you think there is a market for these hand-painted/styled dollhouse pieces?  They would be easier to ship most other items I paint.  What do you think?

Leave a comment and let me know, and then come back in a couple of weeks to see what I’m up to next!