chalk it up.

Published on by Quandie17 Comments

A while back my friend Sue told me she’d seen a new Martha Stewart product.  It’s a liquid chalk dauber that you can use with stencils on a chalkboard.  This sounded just perfect for me since I don’t have great skills when it comes to free-handing a chalkboard design.  Sue was kind enough to share a coupon for 40% off at JoAnn Etc with me, so I popped over there and purchased one (please note that this post is not sponsored in any way, I am just sharing my experience of this product with you).

chalk liquid

The directions were pretty minimal.  They just said to be sure and prime your chalkboard for best results.  Have you ever primed a chalkboard?  If not, it simply means to rub chalk all over it and then wipe it off.  You only have to do this to a freshly painted chalkboard that has never been used before.  Mine wasn’t new, but I primed it again anyway just to be on the safe side.

chalk it up title

My ‘Family and Friends’ stencil fit the chalkboard perfectly, so I just taped it in place and was ready to start chalking.

chalk stencil

I started out stippling the paint on with an up and down daubing motion, similar to the technique I use when stenciling.  I didn’t really like how the texture of the stippling looked (on the ‘F” below), so then I tried using a sweeping motion instead (on the rest of the letters).

chalk look

And honestly, that looked even worse, so I went back to stippling with the rest of the design.  Once the stencil was removed, I just wasn’t impressed.  I tried to salvage things by filling in some of the letters with actual chalk.

chalk stencil close up

chalk board 1

Hmmmm.  I have to be honest.  I’m not loving this at all.  It looks messy and it certainly doesn’t look chalked.  It looks more like a bad paint job.

chalk 2

It doesn’t look quite as bad from a distance, and it helps even more if you squint your eyes just a little.

chalkboard on wall

OK, well, I’m grasping at straws here.  It totally does not meet my standards.

I’m sure part of the problem lies with me and my technique, I went online to look for more instructions or even just some tips on how to use the product.  I found a youtube video, and it recommended ‘pouncing’ the liquid chalk on much like I did.  It also suggested wiping a little of the liquid off first, which I did not do.  That might have helped.   In the end, I think part of the problem is also the stencil I’m using.  It wasn’t designed for use with a product like this.  Using a stencil with skinnier lettering might work better (such as those made by Martha Stewart specifically for her liquid chalk).

Luckily, this product can be ‘erased’ with a damp sponge.  I’m going to test that out next, and then head back to the drawing board with this product.

scrapping the Danube.

Published on by Quandie20 Comments

While my sister was visiting last week, she and I went on a weekend-long scrapbook retreat.  I know scrapping isn’t for everyone.  Plus a lot of people have gone totally digital with their pictures.  But I am still an old fashioned scrapper.  I like to play with paper, scissors and glue.  I love pretty papers in gorgeous colors, with different textures and patterns.  For me scrapbooking is just another creative outlet.

So Debbie and I spent three full days focused on scrapping, and although I didn’t quite finish with all of the pics from my Danube river cruise last November, I did get quite a lot done.

Danube scrapbook pg 1

I tried something new this time around with my photos.  I printed all of them on matte photo paper and I love the results.  It may not be everyone’s cup of tea.  The most frequent comment I heard was that they don’t look like snapshots anymore, which is sort of true.  They may not look like snapshots, but yes, all of the pictures shown on these scrapbook pages are my own (or my sister’s).  I added titles to some of them (like the one above on the left) using picmonkey.  I print all of my photos myself on an inexpensive HP printer.  I just find it easier to print my my own, but I’m sure it’s not cost effective.  I like to be able to determine what size photo I want, and plan my page layout a little in my head as I go.

scrapbook 5

I try to hang onto things like the key cards from our hotel in Budapest (above) to add to my pages.

I also try to add a few vintage touches to my pages, like this fragment from a vintage French dictionary with the definition of the verb dormir, to sleep, on my hotel page.

scrapbook 11

You can see that my favorite shade of aqua plays a big role in my scrapbooking as well as my furniture transformations.

Danube scrapbook pg 3

I’m still cutting up vintage books too.  If you are wondering, the ‘tin pins’, such as the “see the world” pin below, are from October Afternoon.

scrapbook 6

I often use pages from a 1963 etiquette book for my background.  This next page has a section about proper behavior in public while sightseeing.  The photo itself was taken at the Thurn & Taxis palace in Regensburg, Germany.

Danube scrapbook pg 7

My pages tend to be a bit less cluttered than some.  I like leaving some room for the eye to rest.  I’m also trying not to overwhelm my photos on the page.

Danube scrapbook pg 8

I took over 1,200 photos on this trip, but when I first got home and went through them I felt like I only had a handful of good pictures.  We had some dreary weather, plus it got dark so early every day.  The lighting just wasn’t optimal.  However, after I started monkeying around with my photos (in pickmonkey, of course), I realized that I could work with the lighting instead of against it.  In the end, these photos of Vienna that I printed in black and white are some of my favorites.  I scrapped them on a grey background and added some pops of bright pink.

scrapbook vienna

The brads I used (that’s what those round things are below, for those of you not familiar with the term) are from My Mind’s Eye.

scrapbook details

I use a lot of different techniques on my pages.  For instance, on this next page I painted the chipboard letters that say “Altstadt” (which means Old Town in German, by the way) and I used a rubber stamp with ink for the cursive writing that is behind the paper on the bottom right of the page.  The photos on this page were taken in Melk, Austria.

Danube scrapbook pg 4

One of my favorite techniques is to paint the chipboard, and then add a rubber stamp with some pretty french writing on top like I did on the arrow on this page.

scrapbook Vienna

Here is a close up.

scrapbook chipboard closeup

I also like to use these vintage looking ‘slide’ frames to focus your attention on a particular part of a photo, like this picture of Mr. Q and my sister with Melk Abbey in the background.  I’m also using the frame to help disguise some ugly construction equipment that was behind them.

scrapbook slide

I used another slide on this page of photos from the Castle Hill district in Budapest.

Danube scrapbook pg 9

I hope you weren’t entirely bored with a post on scrapbooking!  I just had to share what I’ve been up to, especially since spending time scrapbooking means that I’m not spending time painting furniture.

If you are wondering about any of the elements on my pages that I didn’t identify, feel free to post a comment asking about them.

As for future travel, we’re thinking maybe Belgium for our next trip.  Specifically Bruges and Ghent.

cafe-scene-BRUGGES_BELGIUM_1_grande
photo from http://www.barloga.com

Looks gorgeous, right?  Has anyone been there?  Have any tips for me?

But first, I have to save up some money, which means I’d better get back to painting furniture pronto!

storage with style.

Published on by Quandie13 Comments

I’m painting more metal boxes.  It’s so quick and easy, and I love the results.  I picked up a couple of them while thrifting recently.

painted boxes collage

I painted the larger one in Annie Sloan’s Duck Egg, and the smaller in her Florence.

painted boxes 1

Then I doctored them up with some more rub-ons.  The numbers are Tim Holtz, and the faux vintage labels are 7 Gypsies.  I just adore the one I used on the top of the smaller box.

wild cherry box

And I added some pretty October Afternoon scrapbook paper inside.

painted box inside

And the French labels on the bigger box are kind of fab as well.

painted box french label

I doctored up the top of the bigger box also.

painted duck egg box top

I don’t know about you, but I prefer storing things in pretty containers.  These boxes would be perfect for storing all kinds of things; craft supplies, tax records (gack!), your make up, old photos.  Both of these boxes have keys, so you could always lock up your most precious belongings, whatever they might be.

storage with style

Here are some tips for you if you plan to paint some metal boxes of your own.  First of all, sand lightly before you paint.  I know that chalk paint aficionado’s say you don’t have to, but it just takes a minute and it helps remove any residues that might affect the paint.  Next, water your chalk paint down.  Way down.  You won’t get the brush strokes if your paint is really thinned out.  Take a closer look at my photos.  I watered down the Florence, but didn’t water down the Duck Egg.  You can see brush strokes in the Duck Egg, but none in the Florence.  That did mean that I needed two coats of Florence, and only one of Duck Egg, but I think it’s worth it to get rid of those brush strokes.  Especially on metal.  Next time I’ll be sure to water down all of my colors.

I finished by sanding and then adding clear wax.  I followed the clear wax with some dark wax on the smaller box.  Then I added the rub-ons.

Makes for a simple project you can handle in an afternoon.  But if you don’t want to tackle it yourself, these lovely boxes will be available at my sale in June unless someone snaps them up sooner.

painted suitcase class.

Published on by Quandie7 Comments

As promised, it’s time to plan a Painted Suitcase class!

painted suitcase class

I love a good painted suitcase and have done quite a few.  My all time favorite was my travel quote suitcase.

travel quote suitcase

That one was a little time consuming to do.  I printed the wording on paper, then used white transfer paper to trace the design onto the suitcase.  Then I painted in the lettering by hand.  It sounds tricky, but isn’t too bad if you have a steady hand and the right paintbrush.

But there are a lot of other options if you don’t trust your ability to pull that off.  This suitcase was painted black with MMS milk paint, and then I added the wording using a stencil.  Much quicker and nearly as fab.

painted suitcase 3

These next two suitcases were also painted using milk paint, and then stenciled.

painted suitcase 4

If you aren’t a fan of stencils or wording on your suitcase, you can always go old-school with a simple stripe.

carriage house dress form

Another fun option is to turn your suitcase into a chalkboard.  That way you can change up your message whenever you like.

painted suitcase 2

painted suitcases 1

All of these options and more are possible at my upcoming painted suitcase class!

To see more painted suitcase inspiration, check out my pinterest board.

Here are the details:

When:  Saturday, March 28 at 10 a.m. (class will last approx. 4 hours, but may go longer if we are waiting for pieces to dry)

Where:  Casa Q (that’s my house, which is in Oakdale near the intersection of hway 36 and 120)

What:  The goal of this class is to send you home with a fully finished painted vintage suitcase.  In the process, you will learn about both milk paint and chalk paint, plus the many different top coats that are available for them.  You’ll learn which pieces do well with milk paint, and which ones are better off with chalk paint, as well as how those products with react with different pre-existing finishes.  You’ll also learn some stenciling tips as well as some chalkboard tips.  Also, this just in, I have been provided with some samples of the new line of mineral paint from Homestead House (they make the Miss Mustard Seed milk paint) called Fusion.  I will be inviting you all to play around with this paint a little during class, and I’ll be sending each person home with a free sample size jar of the paint.

Included:  a vintage suitcase plus all supplies necessary to re-fab it, snacks and beverages.

Cost:  $115 per person

I only have suitcases for a maximum of 5 students, and I need a minimum of 3 to hold the class.

If you are interested, please send me an email at oakdalecarriagehouse@gmail.com to hold your spot!

 

thrift store unicorns.

Published on by Quandie12 Comments

Every time I go into a thrift store, I check the luggage aisle.  I’m looking for fabulous vintage luggage, but usually I find tacky 80’s and 90’s luggage instead.  I’ve heard mythical stories from those who have found great vintage luggage at Goodwill or other thrift stores, but it has never happened for me.

Then, it happened.  A vintage Samsonite.  Right there in the luggage aisle.  Not only that, but it was half-off day!  I grabbed that suitcase and proudly hauled it over to the cart I was sharing with my friend Meggan with a huge grin on my face.  “Look!”, I proclaimed, “it’s a miracle!” and she said “It’s a thrift store unicorn!”

thrift store unicorn

I also picked up a few other goodies that day.  Another metal box to paint, some MCM glassware, a cute vintage watering can, a cast iron door stop and more.  I always grab decent lampshades when I see them.  This one was in great shape and only 75 cents.  How do you pass that up?

The next day Meggan emailed me.  She had spotted a pair of vintage suitcases on Craigslist.  Not only that, but they were in my neighborhood and in the right price range!  It was like a unicorn trifecta.

craigslist suitcases

Mr. Q and I promptly ran over and picked them up.

And then, a couple of days later, Meggan texted me from Goodwill.  She had spotted yet another thrift store unicorn!  A vintage Samsonite, and she was willing to nab it for me.  Woo hoo!  She is now a bonafide unicorn hunter.

My collection of vintage suitcases is growing.  Some vintage suitcases are totally meant to be left alone.  Like these three.

vintage suitcases

I use these as props in my furniture photos, and also just as decoration in my home.

Meggan has this stack of vintage luggage at her house, and these are also perfect as is.

meggan's vintage suitcases

But the suitcases that I have been stockpiling are destined to be painted.  Potentially even by you!

Stay tuned later in the week when I announce my upcoming Painted Suitcase class!

painting 101.

Published on by Quandie10 Comments

I held my second pop up painting class last weekend, and it was a blast!  I had 4 students, and they all brought some really cool pieces of their own to work on.

painting 101

Patty brought a sweet little black chair.  She wanted to keep it black, but someone had stuck a bunch of masking tape all over the seat.  She removed that with some Goof Off, and then went over the whole chair with some MMS milk paint in Typewriter.  Then she added some stencils, distressed and waxed with the Cece Caldwell Aging Cream.

Here she is sanding away.

Patty sanding

And here is the finished product.

pattys chair

She’s going to use this chair in her bathroom, so she added a little tongue in cheek stencil to the back rest.

pattys chair detail

Ruth brought a cute little bench to paint.

class bench

She was the most experienced of my students, so she was comfortable with mixing up her own custom minty green milk paint using a combination of the MMS Eulalie’s Sky and Luckett’s Green.  Then she added a stenciled grain sack stripe to the top, and a no. 1 to the little shelf below.  She finished her piece with the MMS white wax.  She had always wanted to try the white wax, so this was a good opportunity for her to try it without having to purchase a whole can of it.

painted bench

Isn’t it sweet?

Jenny brought a little Mexican chair with a rush seat to paint.  She said she’s had it since she was a young girl, but the original yellow and red paint job just wasn’t cutting it for her.  Since she didn’t want to see any sign of that original color, she painted a base coat of Annie Sloan chalk paint in Louis Blue on her chair first.

jennys chair before

Then she added a coat of MMS milk paint in Artissimo.  When it came time to distress her piece, I showed her the technique of using a wet paper towel to very gently distress just down to the chalk paint layer.  This worked beautifully for her.

Jenny with her chair

Jennys chair close up

She opted to not paint the seat, but instead just refreshed it with some MMS hemp oil, which I think was a great choice for this little chair.

jennys chair after

Finally we have Kim’s fabulous table.  First I have to tell you that she brought 3 potential pieces along with her because she just couldn’t decide which one to paint.  So we all weighed in.  I wish I had taken pics of all three of her pieces to share, but I didn’t think of it.  Drat.  The first was a little wooden child sized chair that belonged to her grandfather.  I think we were all in agreement that she shouldn’t paint it.  Now you all know me, I will paint most anything.  But this chair had the most beautiful patina and was absolutely lovely as is.  Her next option was an old short step ladder.  Had she just brought that, it would have been a great piece to work on, and I know she would have enjoyed transforming it.  But she also brought a fab small antique side table.  It had been poorly refinished at some point in its life with a not so great shade of stain.  We all agreed that this should be her piece for the class.

She wanted to really go for it, so she chose one of my favorite colors for her table, the MMS Kitchen Scale.

Here is the table before a top coat has been applied.  You can also see the first coat of the Louis Blue on Jenny’s chair in the background.

Kim's table

You can see how much the top coat changes the look of the color in this next picture.

class table closeup

She added more distressing to her piece than the others, and I love the results.

class table

So four great painted pieces went home with four great students!  Plus I think everyone learned a lot about many of the numerous products that are available out there.  And we all had a great time.

Kim sent the nicest email afterwards saying:

“Thank you so much for opening your home, sharing your expertise with us, and allowing us to make a colossal mess in your dining room on Saturday.  My daughter and I are now eagerly planning our first projects.  Since Saturday I have realized the true value of attending a workshop, at least for me: I had to learn a new skill AND complete a project within set time constraints. Left to my own devices, that little table would have taken me three days to complete as I would have dithered over every step, overthinking, rereading directions and trying to anticipate the outcome before acting.  The truth for me is that the most pleasing artistic results seem to come from spontaneity, NOT overthinking.”

And she is so right!

I’m planning to offer a painted suitcase class next.  I’ll be posting more on that next week, so stay tuned!

welcome guests.

Published on by Quandie9 Comments

I’m so excited because my sister is coming for a visit!  She arrives on Thursday night, and on Friday morning we head up north for a scrapbook weekend.  On Sunday my niece joins us and then they are both here for all of the following week.  They are going to be doing a little job hunting in hopes of being able to move to Minnesota next summer.  My fingers are crossed!

guest room title

Meanwhile, since I had to get the guest room cleaned up anyway, I decided it was a good time to share it with you.

First, a bit of a disclaimer.  This room is near the top of the list for a makeover.  Even though I have painted this room no less than four times, I’ve never been happy with the results.  Currently the walls are a pale green, but they have to go.  This room is the most likely candidate for next winter’s makeover (every winter I try to fully makeover a room in my house, this year it was the Q branch).  I have some ideas in my head for a french nordic look and am keeping my eyes peeled for the perfect bed.

However, for now, I’ll share the room as is.

Let’s start with the bed.

guest room bed

This is one of my first furniture paint jobs!  When Mr. Q and I were first married, we got a few pieces of furniture from Mr. Q’s great uncle and this bed was one of them. The bed was painted white when I got it, but I had grandiose plans of stripping it and re-staining it.  This was 25 years ago.  Painted furniture was not in vogue at that time.  I sent it off to a furniture stripper who ‘dipped’ the furniture.  Honestly, the exact details of how that was done are a little fuzzy now.  But, once the bed was stripped, it turned out that this piece of furniture was always intended to be painted, not stained.  How did we know that?  Because the ‘carved’ wreath and details at the top of the headboard are not wood.  They are a plaster of sorts that is glued in place.  In addition, the bed (and its matching dresser) is made with several different types of wood.  The woods didn’t have to match, because they were going to be painted.  Who knew?  So after all of that stripping, I just turned around and re-painted the bed white.  It stayed white for many years, but eventually I painted it black.  There is a gorgeous curved foot board that goes with the bed, but I’m not currently using it.  I will likely touch this bed up with chalk paint, reunite the headboard and foot board and sell it once I find a replacement.

Have I mentioned before that I kind of have a thing for vintage linens?  I just love the weight of the linens that were used ‘back in the day.’  Plus the hand stitched details that went into them are just precious.

guest room vintage pillowcase

I loved the little touches of black on these.  Aren’t they fantastic?

I put together the suitcase nightstand quite a few years ago as well.

guest room nightstand

I have a pair, you’ll see the second one in a minute.  I’m not sure if I was ahead of my time or what, but neither of these tables sold at my Carriage House sale when I first did them.  So I kept them.  They have been in my living room, and now they are in my guest room.

I like to encourage my guests to relax with this chair.

guest room chair

And it seems to be a running theme in my house, but this is also a piece that went in the Carriage House sale first, and when it didn’t sell, I kept it.

guest room chair and table

I’m keeping one big thing from you in this post.  Just to the right beyond the frame of this photo is my dollhouse.  Once of these days I will share it with you.  You’ll just have to stay tuned.

guest room clock

But meanwhile, I hope my guests feel welcome!  I’m sure we are going to have a great visit.

 

family and friends gather here.

Published on by Quandie17 Comments

I purchased a fantastic french stencil a while back, and quite honestly I wasn’t paying any attention at all to what it said (not to mention that I don’t actually read  or speak any french).  I bought the stencil strictly for its looks.  Later I realized that it says “family and friends gather here”, which made me laugh since I was considering using it on a bedroom dresser.  Hmmm.  Probably not quite the right sentiment for the bedroom.

However, when it came time to paint this tiger oak buffet, I knew I needed to use this stencil!  Because family and friends do indeed tend to gather in the dining room.

Prescott buffet before

Originally I had planned to paint this buffet with Miss Mustard Seed’s Kitchen Scale, like my own oak buffet (see it up there in my blog header).  But I decided I wanted a more subtle color to work with this stencil.  I would have loved to use one of Miss Mustard’s new European colors like Mora or Schloss, but I haven’t managed to get my hands on anything except the Layla’s Mint so far. So instead I mixed my own pale grey using approximately 1/3 c of Trophy and 2/3 c Ironstone.

tiger oak buffet painted in milk paint

I decided that rather than attempt to patch all of the chipped up veneer, I would just work with it and give the piece a very distressed, aged look.  After painting the first coat of my custom grey color, I found that there were also some stains on the top that were bleeding through the paint.

bleed thru stain

This gave me a great opportunity to try out Miss Mustard’s new product, the Tough Coat Sealer.  I simply brushed the sealer on over the spots that were bleeding through the paint.  I did not coat the entire top of the piece.  Once it was dry, I painted another coat of paint over the whole top.  There was definitely a great improvement, but I think a second coat of sealer would have eliminated the bleed through entirely.

bleed thru after

But since I’m going for a rustic look, I decided to go with it at this point.  Or more accurately, I was running out of my custom color and didn’t have enough left to seal again, and the repaint the entire top, so I let it go.  Note to self:  next time try two coats of sealer before painting again.

After the second coat of paint on the entire piece, I added my stencils using Martha Stewart craft paint in Lake Fog.  I want to take a minute here to explain to you how I use just pieces of a stencil rather than the entire thing.  Here is my ‘family and friends’ stencil.

family and friends stencil 2As you can see, I used just part of it on the doors of my buffet and then I used just the lower portion of the stencil on my lower drawer.

stenciled buffet

The sweet little leafy bits that are around the locks on the upper drawers came from a different stencil, this one.

champdelavande_lg

f and f keyhole stencil

It’s super simple to just mask off the portions of a stencil that you want to use with painters tape.  I do it all the time and it gives me a lot of new looks out of the same old stencil.  Since these stencils tend to be a bit pricey, it’s nice to be able to use them in different ways like this (and as a reminder to Patty, I get most of my stencils from Maison de Stencils).

To help support my distressed look for this buffet, I sanded with extra vigor around areas that would normally have some wear on an old piece such as around the key holes and on the knobs themselves.

faux wear

Then I waxed the entire piece with Cece Caldwell’s clear wax.

The insides of the drawers on this piece were in rather pathetic condition as well.  Normally I don’t line my drawers, unless they are in this kind of condition and there is no better option than to just cover them up.  Luckily I had some lovely vintage wallpaper on hand that worked perfectly with the grey.

f and f wallpaper lining

I’ve staged this piece for a wine and cheese party.

f and f wine and cheese

Wouldn’t it be fun the next time you have family and friends over to be able to serve them from this fab piece?!

oak buffet painted in custom mix of MMS milk paint

This buffet still needs some help from my handyman Ken.  The mirrored back piece needs to be re-attached because it’s just not secure with its original screws.  I’m sure he will be able to shore it right up though.

family and friends buffet

a pair of chairs.

Published on by Quandie17 Comments

The other day I saw an ad on craigslist for this pair of chairs (this is the seller’s picture that was with the ad).

chairs

Here is how my thought process went.  “Hey, those could be kind of fabulous!  Then again, maybe they are permanently ugly.  I know paint can do wonders, but is the shape all wrong?  And what are those weird pointy things sticking out of the back?  Will they come off?  And what is under those cushions?  Even though the upholstery is white, it still manages to be all wrong with that 80’s texture and sheen.  What will it take to re-fab these?  Should I?  or shouldn’t I?”

Then I did some research on pinterest and the closest I came to a similar chair that looked good was this chair from The Cross Decor & Design (although it appears to no longer be available).

wing back cane chair

And it’s not painted.  Mine will be painted.  But it still gave me a hint of what these chairs could look like.

After exchanging a couple of texts with the seller and finding out that yes, those back cushions are removable and there is cane beneath them, I decided to take a chance on these chairs.  Mr. Q and I drove out to pick them up on a frigid evening.  Upon seeing the chairs in person, I was still not sure about them.  They weren’t as nice as the cane back chair I painted last year that now resides in the Q Branch, but I had to remind myself that I wasn’t sure about that chair at first either.  The price was right, and I was there already, so I handed over the cash and threw them in the truck.

Here is my ‘before’ picture of one chair.

chair before

From the angle of my shot you can see that it has some pretty cabriole legs in front, and some nice curves on the arm supports that weren’t as apparent in the craigslist photo.  That back cushion is still just freaking me out though!  Not to mention the weird pointy details, which as it turns out are made of metal.

chair metal acornThose are definitely coming off!

Then there are the tacky arm sleeves that are velcroed in place.

chair arm covers

Gotta go!

Here is the chair with those items removed.

chair better alreadyAhhhhh, getting better already.  I also found upholstered arms under those funky sleeves, and started ripping one off.  There are about a million staples holding it in place though, so that little process is going to take some patience.

I threw one of my H & M pillows on the chair just to get a feel for how it would look without back cushions.

chair with pillow

Not bad, right?  Some paint and some new fabric on the seat cushions are going to do wonders for these chairs.

By the way, after I showed these chairs to Meggan, she sent me this.

fixer upper chairs

Turns out that Joanna Gaines used them in the a recent episode of Fixer Upper, the Tire Swing House.  I hadn’t even noticed!  Well, if cane wing back chairs are good enough for Joanna, they are good enough for me!

Now I just have to decide, should I go for chippy with Miss Mustard Seed milk paint, or solid with chalk paint?

vintage goodness.

Published on by Quandie6 Comments

Way back on my birthday last November, my friend Terri gave me a galvanized cake stand that she purchased from Decor Steals.  She knew it was so ‘me’, and that I love pretty much all things galvanized.  Yet, still, it sat around for all of this time because I was struggling with how to use it.  Obviously, I’m not going to be using it for cakes.  I’m one of those people who has to dust my stove, remember?

I finally decided that I would use it as a centerpiece on my dining room table.

vintage goodness

And I pulled out some of my vintage pieces in my favorite shade of aqua to put on top of it, the flour sifter that I picked up recently while thrifting and a little clock that I purchased at Oronoco Gold Rush.

clock and sifter

I also added my favorite aqua clock and some aqua flower frogs, along with another of my ’22’ tickets.

clock and ticket

I love how it looks on my table.  I may change out the cyclamen plant with something in bloom, but for now I like the patterns on the leaves.

I like changing up little things like this in my house.  It gives me an opportunity to see things with a fresh eye, and it doesn’t cost anything.  You should give it a try.  Move some of your things around and display them in a different room, or in a different way, just for fun!