Category: furniture.

Furniture transformations.

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!

omg, I love it.

Published on by Quandie23 Comments

I hope you all will enjoy seeing mini-furniture makeovers as much as the real thing, because I think there’s going to be a steady stream of them as I work on re-furnishing my dollhouse over the coming months.

Now that I’ve finished repainting the exterior, I’m ready to get cracking on the interior.

As I’m just getting started in the world of miniatures, I’m learning about it as I go.  I’m bound to make more than a few mistakes along the way.

There is one big change that has taken place since my dad and I furnished this dollhouse over 30 years ago.  There aren’t any brick and mortar shops dedicated to dollhouses anymore.  At least not any that I can find near me (if you locals know of any, please leave a comment).  Hobby Lobby has a small selection of dollhouse materials (more on that in a minute), but I didn’t find anything at Michaels.

So it looks like online shopping is going to be my main go-to.

I started out making a few purchases on Etsy, but what I like to do is find a shop on Etsy, and then go check out the shop’s independent website (if they have one).  I’d rather order directly from the shop, saving them the Etsy commission.

That’s how I found Miniature Crush, a vendor that ships out of Savage, MN.  I’ve ordered from her twice now and both times received my order really quickly.  I know I’m going to be ordering from her again.

One thing that I learned while scouring Etsy is that there are some very inspirational creators out there working in miniature.  That’s how I came across Cinderella Moments.

Although she doesn’t have a lot of stuff for sale on Etsy, she has some very interesting looking tutorials on her blog such as how to make that gorgeous day bed in the photo above.

But another thing I noticed while looking through her blog is that she often takes basic unfinished dollhouse furniture and embellishes it.  For example, I’m betting that this table and chairs …

started out looking like this …

I just purchased this set at Hobby Lobby for $9.99.

That was a bit of a eureka moment for me, realizing that I can find great raw materials fairly cheap, and then add my own flavor.  This set even came with some upholstered cushions for the seats.

While I’m probably never going to get quite as frou-frou as Cinderella Moments does, I did whip up a quick prototype for my dining chairs.

And omg!  I love it!

I haven’t yet glued down the cushion in that photo, so ignore how it looks a bit floppy.

But seriously, how fun is that?

Now I just need to finish the other three chairs and paint the table.  Stay tuned because later in the week I’ll share the completed set, and all of the details.

While I was at Hobby Lobby, I also picked up some unfinished patio furniture.

As well as a Welsh cupboard.

I also have a bed and an armoire on the way.

So I have lots of furniture painting lined up to keep me busy over the winter.

I hope you’ll enjoy seeing these makeovers as much as I enjoy doing them!

nnK’s dresser.

Published on by Quandie31 Comments

As I was gearing up for my Carriage House sale back in June, my neighbor nnK asked if she could put a dresser in the sale.

So I took a look at it, asked how much she wanted for it, and then bought it myself.

It’s rather plain, but was in great shape.  I thought it would be the perfect canvas for the I.O.D. Joie des Roses transfer.

It’s only taken me nearly all summer, but I finally got ‘er done.

I started by stripping the top of the dresser.  It had a thick, shiny poly finish that didn’t appeal to me so I wanted to take it back to the bare wood and go from there.

While that was underway, I discovered that two of the drawers were missing their runners.  So my neighbor/handyman Ken made a couple of new ones.

Next I gave the rest of the dresser two coats of Dixie Belle’s Putty.

Now it was time to apply the transfer.  I have to admit, I procrastinated a bit on that step.  I was kind of worried that I would mess it up.  The transfer cost me around $40, so I really didn’t want to get it wrong.  I’d seen a few online reviews where people had some issues getting the 8 sheets of the design lined up properly.

In addition, the overall height of the design was about 4″ too tall for my dresser.

But in the end I decided to just go for it.  If I totally shanked it, sure, I’d be out $40, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world.

I started at the top center of the dresser and worked out from there.  After applying the upper half (or 4 sheets across), I realized that if I just lined up the bottom 4 sheets then the oval medallion at the bottom would get cut off somewhere in the middle.  That would look odd.

So I decided to trim off the upper part of the lower 4 sheets.

The blue line above shows approximately where I trimmed each sheet.  I left enough so that I could slightly overlap the top of each sheet with the sheets that were already applied.

The beauty of this plan is that I didn’t really have to worry about lining up the tops of the last 4 sheets with the bottoms of the top 4 sheets.  I just let them overlap.

I then used the bits that I had cut away to fill in a couple of spots that ended up looking a bit wonky.

It couldn’t have been easier.  In fact, I think it ended up being far easier to use it this way.

As for the top of the dresser, after sanding it smooth I gave it one coat of Varathane’s Early American wood stain followed by a coat of Dixie Belle’s clear wax.

I had initially planned to go darker … or maybe lighter … but in the end I decided to match the original wood knobs for the dresser.

If you look back at the ‘before’ photo you will see that nnK had switched out the original knobs for some modern stainless steel knobs.  Fortunately, she had hung onto those wood knobs.  In fact, she had even stripped them at some point.

So all I did was give them a coat of clear wax and put them back on.

Once the knobs were on, it made sense to stain the top to match.

I posed the dresser in front of my Little Lime hydrangea, adding some books and an old brass birdcage.

I was then plagued by a photo bomber for a bit …

Lucy is always drawn like a magnet to photo shoots.  She thinks there must be something super interesting going on, so she has to check it out.

But she finally got bored and I was able to finish my photos.

I love how it turned out, but I have to admit that it isn’t really nnK’s style.  She’s probably secretly horrified by what I’ve done to it.  But what do you think?  Leave a comment and let me know.

This dresser is for sale locally so be sure to check out my ‘available for local sale’ page for more details if interested.

Thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for supplying the paint and wax used on this project.

a sweet little hutch.

Published on by Quandie20 Comments

Remember the mini hutch (sideboard?  buffet?  dresser?  what would you call it?) that was very generously gifted to me at my sale?

I’ve given it a bit of a makeover.

First, the prep.  I began by filling in those circle details on the door fronts using Dixie Belle’s white Mud.  I knew I wanted to use some transfers on those doors and the circles would just be in the way.  Once the Mud was dry, I sanded everything smooth and then, after taping off the mirror, I gave it a quick spray with Rust-Oleum matte sealer.  I could have brushed on the Dixie Belle Bonding Boss, but it was easier to just give it a quick spray.

Next I painted the piece with two coats of Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth.  After distressing the paint job a bit by sanding the edges to give it some age, it was time for the fun part.

I started by adding some roses from the I.O.D. Rose Botanical transfer.

This set of transfers has roses in different sizes and the smallest ones were perfect for this little hutch.  I added them to that backsplash bit, and also on either side of the front.

Once the roses were in place, I pulled out the Vintage Post transfer from Dixie Belle.  I selected some of the typography from it and added it to the front of the hutch.

It fit perfectly.

Then I used some pretty scrapbook paper to line the drawer.

After finishing it all off with a coat of Dixie Belle’s clear wax on the outside, I staged it up with a miniature camera and a tiny little ironstone pitcher.

I think it turned out pretty sweet.

What do you think?

This sweet little hutch is for sale.  Check out my ‘available for local sale‘ page for more details.

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

an updated mid-century bed.

Published on by Quandie6 Comments

Earlier this year I mentioned the White Bear Lake Trash to Treasure Day.  This is a day when the residents of White Bear Lake can put their cast offs at the curb, and people like me can drive around and take whatever strikes our fancy.

I had fairly good luck this year, and I even brought home a mid-century bed frame.

It was a bit dirty, and a bit dinged up.  And the spindles on the footboard were coming loose.

It was easy enough to add some glue to those spindles and clamp them in place while it dried.  Then after a good clean, I scuff sanded the entire piece including the two side rails which aren’t pictured above.

Next up I pulled out the Dixie Belle Smoky Mountains paint.  This is the same paint that I used on the bookcase that I refurbished a month or so ago.  I just love this blue-green-grey color, it reminds me of the color of ‘blue’ hostas.

I also love the fact that this color is from Dixie Belle’s Silk line, which means it has a built in primer and top coat.  So after two coats of paint, it’s done.

I think the clean lines of the spindles on the footboard are really appealing.

It’s not at all frilly, while still having some style.

Normally I would be tempted to do something inside the frame on that headboard, but I don’t think that would be appropriate for this mid-century modern sort of look, do you?

This bed was missing the slats that go from side to side and sit on the ledge of the side rails, but it was easy enough to find a trio of boards that would work.  I snapped a quick photo with just two of them in place while I waited for Ken to cut a 3rd one to size.

And with that, this makeover was complete.

What do you think?

This bed is for sale, check out my ‘available for local sale‘ page for all of the details.

Thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for providing the paint used in this makeover.

a refreshed bookcase.

Published on by Quandie7 Comments

OK, OK, I know, I haven’t been doing much furniture lately.  But I am thinking about getting back to doing more of it once my sale is over.  Honestly, that’s really going to depend on whether or not the pieces I have sell.  So we’ll see how that goes.

But meanwhile, I did have this bookcase waiting in the wings for a makeover.

I picked this up at a garage sale last year and it has been out in the carriage house ever since.

So as I was clearing out for the sale, I decided it was high time to get ‘er done.

First up, I removed the damaged fretwork with some help from my handyman Ken.  Even if it had been undamaged, I still think I would have removed it to update the look of the piece.

Next up I cleaned everything thoroughly, and then very lightly scuff sanded.

I followed that up with two coats of Dixie Belle’s Smoky Mountains.

This is such a gorgeous smoky blue green color.

It’s one of Dixie Belle’s Silk paints, so it has a built in primer and top coat.  I was a little bit worried that I may have bleed-thru issues caused by that original reddish stain, but the Silk paint did the trick without needing a separate blocking primer.  I also don’t have to add a topcoat, so after the two coats of Silk paint, this bookcase was almost done.

All I had to do was clean the glass, and then add some new knobs.

I chose these simple gold knobs to go with the new, more updated look.

And it was that easy.

What wasn’t so easy was getting good photos of it without lots of reflections in those glass doors.

I tried every angle.

I also tried getting a shot with the doors slightly ajar.

But the door on the left insisted on being all the way open, while the one on the right kept trying to close.

The best solution I came up with was to edit some of the reflections out using the Clone tool in Picmonkey.

Just don’t scrutinize those glass doors too closely.

What do you think, have I sufficiently refreshed this bookcase?  Leave a comment and let me know.

This piece is for sale, check out my ‘available for local sale‘ page for more details.  Any of you locals can see it in person at my sale later this week (I’m in a suburb of St. Paul, MN), unless someone snatches it up ahead of time.

I will be posting all of the sale details on Wednesday, so be sure to stay tuned!

As always, thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for providing the paint used on this bookcase.

another mini makeover.

Published on by Quandie13 Comments

Remember the dollhouse that I purchased for $5 at a garage sale last year?

I’m not sure I mentioned it at the time, but it came partially furnished.  LOL, well, it was mostly just tacky plastic stuff that I discarded, but I did hang on to these three pieces …

They were made out of wood, so I thought they might be fun to paint up.

But much like with full-size furniture, I had to send the larger cupboard over to Ken’s workshop for some repairs first.

It was missing what I presume was meant to be a pull-out cutting board, the opening for it has already been covered up by Ken in the photo below.

A couple of the drawers needed some glue, and like so many cast off pieces of furniture, it was missing just one knob.

After scuff sanding and cleaning it, I gave it a couple of coats of Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth.  Then after sanding the edges to create a worn look, I added a couple of transfers.

You’ll note that I painted over the knobs.  That was partially to make them blend a bit more, and partially to disguise the fact that the original 4 knobs are metal while Ken carved a wooden replacement for the fifth one.

The transfers I used are knob transfers from re.design with prima.

They tend to be the perfect size for miniatures.

I lined the drawers with some pretty scrapbook paper.

Can we just take a moment to admire my miniature fly swatter?

I saved a handful of things from the dollhouse that my dad made, including that and the other props I used in these photos.

The remaining two pieces were pretty simple makeovers with more paint and transfers.

The transfer on top of the bookcase is from the Classic Vintage Labels from re.design with prima.

As is the ‘cafe’ transfer on the trunk.

These mini’s were so fun to work on, and so much easier than working on full-sized furniture, LOL.

I think they are much improved with a little quandification.

What do you think?

As far as what I’m going to do with them, I do have a bit of an idea percolating in the back of my mind.  We’ll just have to wait and see if it comes to fruition or not!

coffee bean is the new black.

Published on by Quandie13 Comments

A while back I mentioned that I’d seen a YouTube video where the creator was using Dixie Belle’s Coffee Bean paint and calling it ‘black’.

That led me to take a 2nd look at Coffee Bean.

I had some on hand, and I’d used it here and there as a base coat, or a shadow color with stencils and I’d always considered it a dark chocolate brown.  And brown has never been one of my favorite colors.  So I pulled it out to take a closer look.

And you know what?  It’s pretty dark.  You have to look closely to see those warm hints of dark brown.  At first glance, it really does look black.

This revelation dovetails nicely with a gradual change in my appreciation for black.

Back in 2018 I was painting everything in Dixie Belle’s Caviar.

Caviar is a rich, deep, super dark black.

But then in 2019 I discovered Dixie Belle’s Midnight Sky and it became my new go-to black.

Midnight Sky is just a little bit less black, sort of a slightly faded version of black.

It’s a little less harsh.  It also has the added benefit of not showing quite as many fingerprints as Caviar tends to do.

As a side bar, the Anchor shown in that photo above is from Dixie Belle’s Silk line, so it’s an acrylic paint rather than a chalk style paint.  It’s also a deep, rich black like the Caviar.

I painted our baby grand piano in Midnight Sky.

If you’ve read my blog for long, you know that no one in our household actually plays the piano.  It’s a long story, but someone gave me this piano and I had intended to learn to play.  Um, yeah, in my spare time (which I still don’t seem to have even though I’m now retired from the day job).  However, it has turned out to be the most versatile piece of furniture for me.  It’s the perfect spot for folding laundry, wrapping presents, doing a jigsaw puzzle, or putting out a buffet at a party.  I also have a huge drop cloth that I drape over it and it becomes my workbench in the winter when I can’t be out in the carriage house.

The beauty of the Midnight Sky is that it barely shows the inevitable dings and dust that result from that kind of use.  Since it’s a chalk style paint, it’s also super easy to repair more significant damage.  For example, I tried to use the piano as an ironing board at one point without thinking about what the steam setting would do to the paint job.  But the fix was as simple as sanding that area down a bit, feathering in some more Midnight Sky in that one spot, and then buffing everything with another coat of clear wax.  Easy peasy.

Actually, it was literally easy peasy because I used Dixie Belle’s Easy Peasy spray wax.

But I digress.

I still use Caviar on some pieces, like this armoire …

But I’d been reaching for the Midnight Sky a little more often.

It was gorgeous on this spoon carved set.

But lately I’ve found that I’m no longer as fond of black.  It feels just a little too … well … sort of cold.  Don’t get me wrong, I still like dark shades.  But I want them to be just a little bit warmer.

And that’s where the Coffee Bean comes in.

I used it a last fall on this wooden tote, and I really liked it.

Still, I really thought I’d never see the day when I’d decide to paint a piece of furniture ‘brown’.  Yet that’s exactly what I decided to do with this vintage bankers chair.

Mr. Q used this chair in his study for … well … a long time.  I’m not exactly sure how many years it has been.  But now that he is spending more and more time editing videos for his YouTube channel, he decided it was time for a comfier chair.

The chair was quite beat up after all of that use, and also quite filthy!  So after giving it a good cleaning, I decided to paint it in Coffee Bean.  Once painted, I added a quick stencil to the seat using Dixie Belle’s Putty.

Gosh, in that photo the stencil looks as though it was done using a white paint, but trust me, it’s Putty.  Let’s try a close up photo to see if I can capture the color more effectively.

That’s better.

By the way, I’ve used this stencil quite a lot without cleaning it properly afterwards.  As a result, I am no longer getting a nice crisp image.  So I decided to order a new one to replace it, but it seems as though the company I originally ordered it from, Maison de Stencils, is no longer in business.  Their website is unavailable and the most recent post on their Facebook page is from June 2022.  They also no longer seem to have a presence on Etsy under the name Maison de Stencils.  After a bit more searching, I did find this same stencil available from Euro Stencil Design on Etsy.  It also appears as though this may be the same seller, but with a name change??  I’m really not sure, but if you’re looking for this stencil, start there.

I sanded the stenciled design down, along with the rest of the chair to give it some age.

I then finished it off with some of Dixie Belle’s Big Mama’s Butta in the Orange Grove scent.

I staged the photos in my newly painted q branch, but I won’t be keeping this chair.  I prefer something a little cushier myself.  But hopefully I can find a buyer for it.  I did a bit of googling and found lots of similar chairs out there including a reproduction option at Wayfair for $203 and lots of authentic versions on Etsy ranging from $389 and up.

I’ve decided to price mine at $125 so someone out there can get a bargain.  It’s in good shape and is quite sturdy.  So if any of you locals need a vintage bankers chair, be sure to check out my ‘available for local sale‘ page for more details on this one.

As for the rest of you, leave a comment and let me know what you think of Coffee Bean as the new black.

As always, thanks to Dixie Belle Paint Co for providing the products used on this chair.