q is for quandie

sweetie jane cabinet.

Published on July 27, 2014July 27, 2014 by Quandie19 Comments

Remember the fab little doll sized bow front cabinet that I purchased earlier this year at a garage sale?

Well, I decided to give it a paint job. It was kind of sweet, but I knew it would be much more magical with a little paint.

I’d been admiring a milk paint color by someone other than Miss Mustard Seed … gasp … there, I said it out loud. Not that I don’t love Miss Mustard Seed, but Sweetie Jane by Sweet Pickins Milk Paint just kept catching my eye. It looked like that perfect vintage shade of blue green. So I sent away for some. Since the very first piece of furniture I painted with Miss Mustard Seed milk paint was this miniature hutch …

I decided to repeat the experience with Sweetie Jane and this miniature cabinet.

The product itself is very similar, a powder that comes in a little resealable package, mix it with water and so on. And here is the finished product.

At this point, you might be thinking, ‘hey, aren’t those the same color?’ and it’s a fair question. The color is pretty close to Miss Mustard Seed’s Eulalie’s Sky. But the Sweetie Jane has just a touch more green in it. At the end of the post I’ll show a picture of these together and you can see the subtle difference in color.

I filled this little cabinet with some of my vintage clocks to show that these can make great display pieces. They don’t have to be used as toys, or filled only with miniatures.

You may remember that this cabinet was missing its shelves when I bought it. Ken cut new ones out of cheap 1/8″ hardboard. I painted them, and then added some vintage wallpaper to them.

You can’t see them in any of the pictures so far, but this little cupboard has lights inside.

There is one over each shelf. However, the wiring to these lights is some sort of flat tape with a connector that I don’t recognize. I have no idea if I could find the right kind of adapter to actually plug it in.

I haven’t decided the fate of this cabinet yet. I may keep it, due to my fascination with all things miniature. Or I may sell it. Depends on my mood on any given day … well, and it also depends on whether or not I can find a spot for it.

Perhaps I should line up my miniature cupboards and keep them on the front porch.

What do you think?

P.S. Jennifer has featured my home today on her blog, Town and Country Living! Check it out!

the annabelle.

Published on July 25, 2014July 24, 2014 by Quandie18 Comments

At the Highland Park garage sales last weekend, I couldn’t help but notice how many homes had beautiful hydrangeas in their landscapes. I also noticed they were all Annabelle’s (H. arborescens). Up until not terribly long ago, Annabelle’s were really one of the only hydrangeas that would bloom reliably well in Minnesota.

You know those huge gorgeous blue hydrangeas (H. macrophylla) like these, grown by Danielle of Finding Silver Pennies?

from Finding Silver Pennies.com — photo from findingsilverpennies.com

Yeah, those don’t grow here. Well, you might be able to get them to grow, but they definitely won’t flower much. I’ve always been so envious of southern gardeners that could grow these!

Several years ago a new variety of H. macrophylla came out, the Endless Summer. It blooms on new wood, unlike the older versions and therefore is supposed to bloom in colder climates. We all rushed out to buy them. I put in two, nnK put in a whole row of them, Sue put several in her garden also. But honestly, they don’t do all that well either. This year I have a grand total of three blossoms on mine so far. Do any of you other northern gardeners have better luck with them?

In the excitement over finally having blue and pink hydrangeas rather than just white, I kind of forgot about my old Annabelle’s. I moved one of them out behind the Carriage House into the cutting garden. But after seeing so many of them in Highland Park, I realized I need to move some front and center again. Maybe put one or two next to the potting shed.

I moseyed out behind the carriage house to the cutting garden to see if my Annabelle was doing well back there, and look!

Completely covered in flowers, despite a total lack of care on my part. These will look amazing for quite a while. Then the flowers will dry and I will use them in my winter window boxes. Sometimes these traditional old fashioned varieties are just the best. That’s probably why they became so popular in the first place.

I may never be able to grow a huge hedge covered in blue hydrangea blossoms, but for now, I’m going to enjoy the more subtle beauty of the Annabelle. At least until the Limelight’s (H. paniculata) start blooming!

ken’s hat.

Published on July 23, 2014July 20, 2014 by Quandie7 Comments

I was chatting with my handyman/neighbor Ken the other day about vintage stuff. He has an old portable manual typewriter that he still uses! I was explaining that I’d love to borrow it sometime to stage a desk, and he said “would you ever want to use a Laurel & Hardy hat?”

Huh? A Laurel & Hardy hat? What is that?

Well, it’s a Derby or Bowler of course!

This belonged to Ken’s grandpa. As I love to remind Ken, he’s ‘getting up there’ himself, so I imagine his grandpa hasn’t been around to wear hats for a long time. I googled it and read that this hat style was popular from the 1850’s through the 1920’s.

The hatbox still has the postal label on it and a C.O.D. price of $5.98. C.O.D. I bet there are a few of you out there that don’t even know what that is. Cash on delivery. Can you imagine having something sent to you this way now, where the postman has to collect the money from you?

And here is a picture of Ken’s grandpa (on the left) in the hat!

Well, I’m kind of assuming it’s the same hat. Ken isn’t sure. But unless his grandpa had several Bowlers, it’s probably the same hat.

Anyway, of course I told Ken that I would love to borrow this sometime to stage a dresser or armoire.

Meanwhile, I took a few photos of it and then a few more with the pink hat stand I bought at an estate sale for my friend Michelle. Since Michelle has a millinery background, I knew she’d love a vintage pink hat stand.

Ken however thought the pink hat stand was ALL wrong for his granddad’s hat!

I think it’s kind of fab, don’t you?

french linen sideboard.

Published on July 21, 2014July 20, 2014 by Quandie18 Comments

My very slapdash on line research suggests this would be a Duncan Phyfe style sideboard. Seems logical. It has that neoclassical vibe that characterizes Duncan Phyfe. I’ve seen a few sideboards like this on craigslist, but either they are priced far out of my reach, or someone else snatches them up ahead of me. So when nnK sent me a link to this one, I acted on it promptly and arranged pick up for the same day.

Luckily Mr. Q took one of his strong manly heavy lifting type friends (OK, really he might be his only manly heavy lifting type friend) to pick it up because they had to carry it down a narrow staircase! And since I have now had to move it a few times for very short distances, I appreciate that I did not have to attempt to get it down some stairs. It is very heavy and large.

It has that one flaw on the upper right drawer where a hunk of veneer is ripped off. Otherwise, it was in quite good condition. The major problem with this sideboard is that the original finish is hopelessly outdated. Am I right?

So I gave it an Annie Sloan makeover. A simple paint job in French Linen.

Such a gorgeous shade of grey. Nice and warm, not too dark, not too light.

I even painted the insides of the two side cupboard areas.

I sanded the top a bit to make sure it was smooth, and it feels like silk now.

I staged this one quite simply with just an orchid in a white pot that I just purchased for 50 cents at a garage sale (the pot, not the orchid). The orchid is actually from Home Depot and cost $12.99. I added a stack of my Jeanne d’Arc magazines and the fabulous old binoculars that I purchased at a garage sale earlier this summer.

Sometimes I struggle between finishing something in a way that I know will appeal to a broader audience and will find a buyer more easily and finishing something in a way that is creative and unique. I vacillated between those two choices with this one. I thought about putting a stencil on either side door. I thought about a two toned paint job, and I even considered stripes on the drawers. In the end, I decided that a simple paint job would help keep this piece marketable. I also felt like it had enough ornamentation on its own and didn’t need a fancy treatment.

Likewise, I simply cleaned up the drawer pulls and put them back on. I always hesitate to spray paint hardware because I’m not convinced that it stands the test of time. I think it scratches too easily and doesn’t necessarily wear all that well. In a pinch, if the hardware is a horrible color, I’ll resort to oil rubbed bronze spray paint. Also, I’ll paint hardware with chalk paint or milk paint if I intend for it to be chippy. I think this hardware works well as is though, so I left it alone.

I’ll leave you with a final ‘after’ shot.

Anyone in the market for a Duncan Phyfe style sideboard in French Linen?

highland park.

Published on July 20, 2014July 19, 2014 by Quandie8 Comments

Yesterday was the perfect day for a neighborhood garage sale and the stars must have been aligned in my favor because I came home with all of this.

We were in Highland Park, a neighborhood that runs along the side of the Mississippi River in St. Paul. It is full of gorgeous old houses, many with really lovely gardens. I should have brought my camera!

We filled up the truck before noon and then stopped off at Cecil’s Deli for lunch. A true Jewish kosher deli. It took me back to my days of living in Boca Raton, Florida which might have been the last time I enjoyed a legit east coast style Jewish deli. I’m not at all sure what makes them so fabulous. They always have the best pickles, and a fantastic selection of sandwich choices. I had the “Nosher”; turkey, roast beef and swiss on caraway rye. We took away some hamantaschen cookies to nosh on later. Yum!

But … back to the goods.

I found quite a few pieces of pottery.

And I love these old metal glasses. My grandpa used to make us root beer floats in these when I was a kid. I can still remember how cold that metal used to get!

At an estate sale I found not just one, but two fab vintage typewriters.

I’ll confess, I didn’t buy the pair of shutters at a garage sale. I bought them at a cute shop on Grand Avenue. I loved their crackled paint, and I thought they would be perfect for either side of the window in the photo cottage. And look, they are!

I grabbed this pair of vintage sleds because I think they make great decorations at Christmas time.

I’m debating painting on them like I did with this one last year.

What do you think? Would people rather I left them alone? Or added some fun wording?

I also brought home a couple of pieces of furniture that will eventually get a makeover. The little mid-century nightstand is already sanded and ready to be painted, but the former owner gave up before the finish line. I love getting these pieces where someone else has already done the hard part! Unfortunately she misplaced the hardware, so I’m going to have to come up with some great replacement knobs for this one.

So, there you have it. A productive day in Highland Park!

farm fresh table.

Published on July 19, 2014July 16, 2014 by Quandie10 Comments

Mr. Q picked this table up in the middle of last winter.

Trust me when I say this picture makes it look nicer that it really was in person. There are some big oily stains and paint splotches on the top.

I had visions of this table ending up all chippy and farm fabulous, like this one from pinterest, after a coat of milk paint.

So, I painted it with MMS milk paint in Luckett’s Green. And all of those oil stains came right through, and half the paint chipped right off the top. Not exactly what I was going for.

Then I did what all good ostriches do, I buried my head in the sand by throwing a sheet over it and using it as a workbench for the next six months. But last weekend I decided to give it another go. I added a couple of coats of MMSMP in Linen over the green. I did not add bonding agent because I still wanted a chippy shabby result, but in a good way. I really thought the Linen would chip as much as the Lucketts did. I also thought the oily stains would continue to seep through, but I tried it anyway. And for some reason, none of that happened! Really. I have no idea why.

So then I sanded the crap out of it and ended up with this.

Not quite the super shabby chippy look I wanted, but it will have to do.

And remember the oak chair I bought at the ‘breakfast meeting’? I used the left over paint from the minty fresh vanity and painted the chair.

Now I have a pretty decent farm fresh table and minty chair.

I think the table is more versatile without its leaves because it can become a desk. Plus, they were seriously lacking in structural stability, so I took them off.

This duo would be great tucked into the corner of a room. Just enough space for your laptop.

It would also make a fun alternative bedside table, pair it up with something mismatched on the other side of the bed, all of the cool kids are doing that these days.

Or, go ahead and use it as a small table in the kitchen.

So many possibilities for a farm fresh table like this one.

a ray of summer sunshine.

Published on July 18, 2014July 18, 2014 by Quandie15 Comments

Here is it July and I’m not sure if summer has actually arrived in Minnesota. For those of you not local, the high temps this week were in the upper 60’s to low 70’s. That is a little unusual, even for Minnesota. I’m not complaining though, I kind of love it. Perfect weather for getting stuff painted.

But, I thought I would add a little more summer sunshine into July with this gorgeous dresser.

Let’s start at the beginning, shall we?

This dresser had fabulous written all over it. Lucky for me, nnK spotted it on craigslist. Obviously it was gorgeous in its day, but it was rather the worse for the wear. The trim detail on the bottom had bits broken off. There were scratches and dings everywhere. A couple of the knobs were missing. Really, it just wasn’t meeting its potential.

My immediate thought was to paint it aqua. Either Annie Sloan Duck Egg or MMSMP Eulalie’s Sky. But something about that plan just didn’t sit right. Then, lying in bed one morning, it came to me. Mustard Seed Yellow with Linen accents. I had done another dresser in this color scheme for Junk Bonanza, and it was the first piece of furniture that sold. I just knew it would be perfect for this one too.

Let’s pop on in to the photo cottage and take a look!

The Mustard Seed Yellow is bright and cheery. The Linen just makes the details pop.

Suddenly I am craving a glass of freshly squeezed lemonade, or maybe some lemon meringue pie.

How about you?

This beauty is for sale for $245. I’ll be posting it on craigslist later today. If anyone out there wants a delicious pop of yellow dresser, leave me a comment and I’ll get back to you via email.

fairy crowns.

Published on July 17, 2014July 16, 2014 by Quandie12 Comments

It is incredibly handy having a friend that is super creative and owns a fabulous shop and studio space in Stillwater. I’m referring to my friend Michelle who owns Rose Mille.

The other night we got together for a craft night to make fairy crowns. I brought the wine, my hot glue gun and an idea from pinterest, she provided just about everything else!

The idea for the wire and buttons came from pinterest, but Michelle thought to add the Dresden trim around the bottom.

It was awesome crafting with Michelle. She knows lots of stuff and I learned from her. This was not her first fairy crown. Plus she has an excellent eye. Here is her crown.

While we were playing anyway, we also decided to make some fairy wands using some of Michelle’s supplies and her fabulous German glass glitter in black (which you can order on her website, here).

I was originally hoping the crown would work for the gargoyle, but it was a bit too large for him.

I also tried it on Cossetta and on my buddha. No dice.

But truthfully, this crown wouldn’t hold up outside anyway.

For now I think that Lulu will sport the crown.

photo cottage final reveal.

Published on July 16, 2014July 15, 2014 by Quandie15 Comments

I can’t tell you how happy I am with my decision to turn my summer house into a photo studio, now aptly named the ‘photo cottage’ (thanks Darrielle!).

I am having a great time staging my furniture makeovers in the cottage and getting great pics. I have found that I have to time it properly. Morning light is much better than evening light because it’s not reflecting off of my red carriage house. Bright sunshine is best, but I can fake it a little if there are clouds. My next goal is to research my artificial lighting options so my timing can be more flexible. Since I have a day job masquerading as an accountant, morning photo shoots might be few and far between.

I thought I would pull the makeover all together into one final post for you. First, a quick ‘before’ collage of the summer house.

It was charming and lovely, but sadly underutilized. So let’s head on in and check out the new look!

The door handle on the cottage is an old hand held garden tool that Ken affixed to the door. To the side of the door is my planter and watering can on a pulley. Those poor begonias look pretty sad. I never have luck with them! I usually don’t buy them, but these were just such a gorgeous deep pink.

The bricks that make up the stoop are from an old brick patio that used to be in front of my deck. We pulled them up a while back to make the patio larger and we replaced them with flagstone. I saved the brick and have been using it to edge my gardens and I also used it here. Honestly, the bricks are just stacked in place. No mortar or anything. They have held up quite well though.

After painting the inside walls and floor white, adding a grey diamond pattern to the floor, and having Ken build a faux wall insert for the back window, I now have the perfect canvas for furniture photo shoots.

And on the other side of the room, I have a cozy seating area in case I ever do want to just relax out there and read a book (ha, as if I really ever do that!). Plus, I finally came up with the perfect spot for the Paris sign that I purchased from Curious Sofa.

You may recognize the chair. It was a makeover from last winter. I brought it to Junk Bonanza, but there were no takers. I also had it out for my Carriage House Sale, but again, no go. Sometimes things are just meant to be mine! This chair is quite comfy too, especially with the added pillow which is covered in one of my favorite vintage monogrammed pillow cases.

I used the space above the window to display some of my chippy green garden tools.

And across from the chair is the cupboard for storing my photo props.

For a little better perspective, here is a shot of that entire side of the cottage.

It’s not a large space at all, but it has just enough room to make a perfect stage for freshly revamped furniture! I know I will get a lot more use out of this space now. You are sure to see a lot of it on q is for quandie!

seeing red.

Published on July 15, 2014July 14, 2014 by Quandie12 Comments

A while back my pal Cathy texted and said she picked up a FREE dresser for me!

Woo hoo! Free!

Then she dropped it off.

Yikes. No wonder it was free. It came complete with a horrible paint job and some half removed stickers.

Then I got the brilliant idea that this would be a good candidate for attempting to strip paint. You may remember that learning how to strip was my goal for this summer (not that kind of stripping, get your mind out of the gutter). So far I have mainly just stripped varnish and stain, not paint.

After all, this dresser has decent bones, and those knobs are rather fab so why not give it a go?

All I can say is, wow, what a mess. I didn’t take photos because it was so disgusting and messy, I didn’t want to go anywhere near it with a camera. It took three passes with the stripper to get the paint off. Everything was covered in paint/stripper goo. My tools, my driveway, my apron, my shoes, my legs. Egads! And after all of that, the stain underneath that paint was one of those horrible red bleeding stains. No amount of paint will cover that stuff.

Well, when you can’t beat ’em, you just paint ’em red.

This is Miss Mustard Seed milk paint in Tricycle. I waxed with a custom blend of clear wax and dark wax.

There are still shadowy areas in the finish that are a result of that stain bleeding through mostly on the top drawer front.

But that just adds to the character of this one.

Those knobs are pretty cute, and the base definitely has some charm.

This dresser would be great in a kids room, or maybe in a mudroom or laundry room for a pop of color.

I’m passing the savings on to the buyer with this one and pricing it at a mere $125. If you need a cute red dresser, leave a comment and I’ll get back to you with an email.