Sunday, October 18, 2015

Nouveau Trumeau Mirror

Gotta love Craigslist!  I picked up this mirror with matching bench this summer.
Trumeau bench BEF
It was a 40 minute drive.  When I saw I liked the shape and condition but the finish was yucky.  Hand painted flowers that were raised (relief) and would require sanding to get rid of them.  Since it wasn’t a simple “paint and done” project, I offered the seller a bit less than she was asking and that kind of put her in a snit.  She said I should have told her before.  Huh?  How could I tell her anything before I saw the piece?   In any case, I ended up getting for what I offered.  End of that.
Trumeau bench BEF 2
I removed the medallion at the top part and sanded away.  (No pics – I was busy!)
Trumeau bench AFT 2
All painted in ASCP Paris Grey with wood applique painted gold.  Then waxed.
Trumeau bench AFT 3 
The bench received the same love.
Trumeau bench AFT
And….tada!

Friday, October 16, 2015

Let There Be Light!

I love lamps!  I picked up a pair at a yard sale a few weeks ago.  The finish was dated but the “bones” were good.  They are nice and heavy but the finish was dated.

10 Whitewashed lamp

Nothing a little paint can’t fix.

10 Whitewashed lamp GREY

Sprayed with grey paint. 

10 Whitewashed lamp AFT 2

Then for a little more interest, I did somewhat of a whitewash with gesso.  It toned down the paint and added a little depth.

10 Whitewashed lamp SHADE

The original shades were definitely not a match for the lamps so I bought shades and added a beaded trim.

10 Whitewashed lamp AFT 3

Installed in the shop!

10 Whitewashed lamp AFT

Friday, October 2, 2015

Updating a Curio

I picked up this curio cabinet last Saturday at an estate sale on Cape Cod. 

10 Curio BEFIt was in excellent condition but the golden oak had to go! 

Nothing a little white paint (Chantilly Lace) and toile can’t cure.

10 Curio

The original applique was kind of blah…..so I changed that too.  Something more in keeping with the with toile.

10 Curio CLOSE

Already installed in the shop.

10 Curio 2

   Gotta love a quick flip!

Friday, September 18, 2015

Whispers of Color

Although I love color, I use a lot of white paint.  (Not because I don’t love color.  Because I do!)  White just seems to sell quicker.  But who can resist the “oops” paint section at the hardware store? 
09 Whisper of Blue dresser CLOSE 2
I picked up this “whisper” color and went to work as soon I got home.  Just a touch of minty blue/green.  In fact, when I was painting in the dark garage it appeared to be a shade of white…until I took it outside and added the white handles. 
09 Whisper of Blue dresser CLOSE
Since it was rather plain, I also added the appliques to spiff it up a bit.
The mirror and dresser were not a set but I think they are a good match.
09 Whisper of Blue dresser
It won’t be long before I look at these pictures longingly…..wishing the snow would go away!  For now, I’ll enjoy these days that Mother Nature has blessed us with.
 
Linking up with Making Broken Beautiful

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Pretty in Pink


I had this deco dresser sitting in my garage without it’s partner mirror.
Pink Deco dresser BEFORE
It was missing handles and lots of peeling veneer. 
Pink Deco dresser 1
Why oh why did they ever used veneer escapes me.  More often than not the wood underneath is every bit as nice… with a little sanding of course.  Veneer is a bugger to repair!
The back was warped so it had to be replaced. The original mirror sat in a recessed part on the top but the mirror that I chose to use with it had to sit on the top so I had to use a piece of wood to fill in the recess.
Pink Deco dresser 1a
I tried Rustoleum’s new “chalky” paint on this.  Love the color!
Pink Deco dresser 3
New pulls and it’s good to go!
Pink Deco dresser 2
P.S.  The color is true in the close up not this photo.

Linking up with Making Broken Beautiful

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Am I Nuts?

Confused smile

ar·moire

ärmˈwär,ˈärmˌwär/

noun

noun: armoire; plural noun: armoires

  1. a wardrobe or movable cabinet, typically one that is ornate or antique.

That’s the definition of armoire.  Sounds fancy right?

06 Fabia armoire BEF 2

Antique = check!  Movable = check!  Fancy = possible!

06 Fabia armoire BEF

With a toooooooooon of work!  Peeling veneer might just be the bane of my existance!  Sometimes I might just be my own worst enemy.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Ahoy Navy!

I love white but it can become booooooring to do one piece after another in white.  Granted I do have several ‘go to’ whites (Woohoo!  How wild am I?)  but sometimes I just need to change things up.  So I cracked open some ASCP in Napoleonic Blue.  Gorgeous color!

06 Navy commode during
No “before”, only a “during”.  A golden oak commode.  And I do mean golden.  Nothing a little sanding and stain + paint can’t fix!

Dark Walnut Howard’s “Restore a Finish” for the top.   Clear and dark wax over the paint.  Gold acrylic for the pulls.  Et voila! 

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Deco Love

 

I love the soft curves of Art Deco style furniture.  When I saw this piece, I had to have it!  For me!  I thought it would be perfect a sideboard in my kitchen/dining area.

 

05 Deco Sideboard BEF

It could have been used ‘as is’ but there were veneer issues so I decided to deal with them and then repaint it.

 

05 Deco sideboard AFT

It turned out it was too big for my kitchen and so off to the shop it went.  Boohoo!  Such a beauty.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

A Beastly Piece – The Toile Hutch


Sometimes I wonder what possess me to pick up pieces like this..
04 Black Hutch
It was missing glass, full of worm holes, and lots of nooks and crannies to cover up that black paint.  Translation…a ton of work!

04 Toile Hutch
After many hours, this is the end result.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Itty Bitty Footstool


I haven’t posted in ions…not because I haven’t done any projects but more that life got in the way.  I find if I don’t keep up on the posts, backtracking can be a humongous task.  So I’ll start with the here and now and see if I can catch up.

Footstool BEF
This little icky’ish stool came into my life about 2 weeks ago.  I try to deal with small projects as quickly as I can.  So I did.

Popped the tacks and stripped the vinyl.  The foam underneath was pristine because the vinyl had protected it so I reused it and  painted the frame.
Footstool AFT
The corners were a little awkward so I used some Mother of Pearl buttons to fill in the blank spaces.

Footstool AFT 2
Not a work of art but better than it was!