Uncategorized – q is for quandie

wall o’ plates.

Published on October 2, 2014September 30, 2014 by Quandie3 Comments

We return to pinterest for some more inspiration today.

Have you considered adding a wall of plates in your home? I love this look and have been stockpiling plates for years. I used to keep them all on display in my summer house, but now that I have converted it to a photo cottage, I just don’t have a home for all of these plates. Therefore, I’m selling a lot of them at my Carriage House Sale. And the prices are dirt cheap at $3 to $6 each.

So, how about some ideas for plate walls?

One of my favorites is this one that includes a customized house number plate.

Use number decals to add the numbers! Or just add a touch of whimsy above a chalkboard with number plates (click on the photo below to link directly to love grows wild’s post about how to add the numbers with a Silhouette machine).

Or you could update the look with a more asymmetrical design such as this one.

Or like this charming display for the kitchen.

One of my all time favorites is this display that mirrors the shape of the headboard.

I don’t happen to have any fish plates at my sale, but I am loving this look for a cabin or lodge.

You could take a lesson from Miss Mustard Seed and arrange monochromatic platters from large to small.

One last clever idea, add word decals and use for a wedding reception!

Let’s face it, there are a lot of fun ways to use pretty vintage plates. Stock up on some at the Carriage House Sale!

and the winner is.

Published on May 2, 2014 by Quandie1 Comment

The results of my highly unscientific drawing for my ‘pay it forward giveaway’ are in … and the winner is … drum roll please … Victoria!

Congrats Victoria!

my bags are packed.

Published on April 8, 2014 by Quandie6 Comments

My bags are packed for Junk Bonanza!

And so is my giant truck!

I rented a truck. This is a new experience for me. Originally I had thought I could just make several trips with the pick up. Luckily Lori told me that was nuts and I should just rent a truck. She was so right! It’s not that expensive, and the truck is enormous! This will be so much easier. I’ve never even rented a truck to move before! Of course, it’s been a while since I’ve moved, but the last time I fit all my stuff in a Honda Civic.

Then nnK (new neighbor Karen) hired one of her high school football players, Aaron, to help us load it all. It is super handy to have a neighbor with access to rented muscle (nnK is the athletic director at a nearby high school). All I had to do was buy dinner. Slick!

This is what the truck looks like with all my stuff in it. I have 10 pieces of furniture in there!

I could easily fit twice as much stuff in this thing. I had so much room that I threw it all in! Pieces on stand by? Nope, they are all going in one trip. Now I just have to keep my fingers crossed that I’m not renting another truck to bring all this stuff back home again!

So … if you are going to Junk Bonanza and you want to know where to look for me, I am sharing the Round Barn Potting Co. booth in spots 206 & 207. We are in the Main Building towards the back, just across from St. Paul Snacks (snacks nearby = good thing).

If you are going early, a strategy I recommend is to head straight to the back and then work your way forward. This requires nerves of steel as you have to put your blinders on and head straight for the back. You must resist the urge to stop at each booth on the way. But, there are two benefits to this approach. You’ll avoid the crowds who have all stopped at the first booth they came to and you’ll find me right away!

If you stop by, be sure to say hello. I’d love to meet you!

a little landscape.

Published on March 22, 2014March 22, 2014 by Quandie19 Comments

I mentioned that the only thing I purchased while garage saling in Vegas was a little oil painting. It had to be small to fit into my suitcase. Here it is.

Before you recoil in horror, let me explain. There were a couple of things that drew me to this painting. First was the frame. Ugly as is, but I thought it would be a fun one to paint. Second, the painting itself, which I thought was rather sweet. Finally, the size, a mere 4.5″ by 6.5″. I like either things that are smaller than usual, or things that a bigger than usual. Why is that?

Anyway, I knew I could change up the look of this little painting by … well … painting it.

I also thought this would be a good way to try out the Annie Sloan chalk paint that I picked up at Bloom. I took everything apart, and painted a coat of Provence on both the mat and the frame. I have to say, the Annie Sloan paint went on smoothly. It didn’t dry as fast as the milk paint does though. Really, in the end, the main thing that I like about it is the color, and I can reproduce that in a much cheaper homemade version of chalk paint (latex paint mixed with plaster of paris). So, will I go out of my way to find more Annie Sloan paint? I doubt it. Will I pick it up once in a while for a special project? More testing required to answer that one.

Anyway, I knew that my final coat of paint on the frame would be Miss Mustard Seed’s Linen, so I decided to leave the mat in Provence. I originally planned to just use the MMS white wax over the Provence, and that is where I started, but I didn’t love it. I added some clear wax to tone it down, but still didn’t love it. So, I broke out the MMS antique wax and that did the trick. I think having all 3 waxes gives the mat an aged appearance that works for me.

As for the frame, I added two coats of MMS milk paint in Linen. I was hoping for a lot of chipping, but got very little. I added more distressing by sanding it lightly, and then finished with a combination of clear and antique wax.

Here is a close up of the end result.