Uniquely Chic

Damask and Turquoise

2012-02-20T21:00:00.006-05:00

I just finished changing up my bathroom in this combo and love it. OK maybe went a touch bright on the walls....ugh. I mixed up some of the left over wall paint w/ some oops paint and came up w/ this color that I just love. So wish the walls were this color :( Anyway, it inspired me to do up this French Provincial nightstand in the damask and turquoise combo.


I had a set similar to this growing up. It was huge in the late 60's early 70's when it was all about the Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family, shiny orange and green floral wallpaper in the kitchen w/ avocado appliances and upholstered seats covered in thick plastic.....misty watered colored memories.

Who new the 70's could look so good...so good...so good. Neil Diamond~love him and Mike Wolfe too. Time for pickers!

Doesn't this pedestal table go perfectly w/ the nightstand? I love them together.

Thanks for popping in!

Linking up here...

Turquoise and Glaze

2012-02-18T21:33:00.005-05:00

Anyone else who feels the need to glaze? It just makes a huge difference from a flat finish to a fantastic finish especially when there are carved areas that should pop and not get lost. I found this beauty of a dresser on CL a while back. The carvings on it are amazing! The disaster of a garage in the background not so much.

There were a couple of carved pieces missing so I used this method to replace them.

Usually I glaze the entire piece but this one I decided just to highlight the carved areas and recessed trim with glaze.

Love what glazing does.

I really love this one. The wood top is so pretty and happily didn't take long to remove the old stain. I gave it a fresh coat of Minwax Dark Walnut. The paint color was a concoction of oops paints left over paint from my new bathroom color. I'll post about that soon....changin' up the bathroom on the cheap.

Linking up here....

Sea Glass Aqua Vanity

2012-02-03T18:10:00.004-05:00

HELP ME! OK, that said as I sit here fooling around on a Friday night w/ my blog layout. Yours all look so nice and mine is lacking. I finally figured out the collage thing but how do I make them smaller....not so in your face. They are so in your face, you know what I mean???

This was a great CL find. I picked up this and a 1930's dresser w/ tiara mirror. Somehow we managed to squeeze all of the pieces into my Pilot. It wasn't easy but somehow we did it!


Placing the mirror into the vanity nearly killed me. I can't believe how heavy this thing is. I finally got wise and removed the hinges then placed the center piece in and reattached the sides.

I painted it a pretty shade of aqua that I mixed up from some oops paint then glazed it in charcoal to tone it down.

I listed it in my Etsy shop and hope it moves quickly unlike the buffet that you can see in the first pic that has long overstayed its welcome.

Linking up here...

Me Again...Doin' the Blue Gray Dresser Thing

2012-01-27T16:52:00.005-05:00

Don't we all have our go to color? This was another CL find from a couple I have bought from before and instantly connected with. Love that! Did I anticipate being there for an hour yapping, yes. Did I anticipate 2 hours, no. But it was nice hanging out having coffee w/ a down to earth couple I felt like I have known for forever. If you're reading this George and Robin, yes, I'm talkin' about you.

This has an awesome mirror that goes with it that I was too lazy to drag out to take a pic of. I sanded the top down which happily took all of about 20 minutes....love when it is that easy. No strippers needed.

Sanded, spray primed, painted and glazed. Quick word on glazing. Glaze really tones a color down so don't be concerned if your paint seems to be in your face. See what I mean...


Cold colors look way better glazed in black/charcoal. Warm colors, glaze in brown/burnt umber. Just my 2 cents.

I stripped the frame around the mirror too. That took a bit more time but still came off easily enough even in the recessed areas.

Stained it all in Dark Walnut but you knew that already, didn't you?

Linking up here....
com

French Gray Vanity

2012-01-24T15:37:00.004-05:00

Found this on CL and happily the woman selling it was only 15 minutes from me. Love the legs and scalloped edges. I used ASCP in Paris Gray, distressed it and glazed in charcoal. I'll tell ya, I am loving not priming or sanding.

It had a cracked leg issue. I used these clamps and they are amazing for legs, mitered edges, anywhere there's a kooky angle.

The clamp is called Maestro and I love the new detail sander I got for Christmas too....Genesis. Perfect for getting into routered edges.


Sadly it's not real wood but it is still pretty.

How's that for a little picture over load??

Happy little side note...I listed this in my Etsy shop and it sold in a few hours... more room in the garage means guilt free CL pursuing in the AM!

Linking up here...

Duck Egg

2012-01-18T14:08:00.002-05:00

You know what I'm referring to....chalk paint. Well, I held out and didn't buy any. Yes, it was killing me. Instead I waited patiently for Christmas. And what do you know, I received the three that were on my wish list....DE, Old White and Paris Gray. Guess someones been behaving :) I used the OW first and I'll tell ya, wasn't happy with it. It went on very thick and left tons of brush marks.Then I tried the Duck Egg and oh, I love it. I especially love no sanding and priming. This went on smooth and creamy. So what's up with the OW???

Here are my tester projects...

Set of candlesticks which happily sold in a day in my Etsy shop. Maybe Annie is on to something :)

Someone needs new photo props.

Happy flea market find.

And the sea shell props one more time just in case ya missed 'em in the last two pics.

I love this one!!!

I just started a vanity/writing desk in Paris Gray. That one is going on nice too. Maybe I got a bad batch of OW or maybe I should add some water...thoughts???

Linking up here...

com

Striped Beach Dresser

2012-01-13T14:10:00.011-05:00

Thinking about the beach and my someday beach house on this finally feeling like winter day in Jersey. Which brings me to the CL dresser I just finished. Which I froze my butt off taking outside pics of just for you and my Etsy shop too :)


Notice all the mismatched hardware which I'll save for another day.


I sanded down the top getting it ready for some new stain and taped off to do some striping.

I added some new starfish pulls that I found at a local building center. They were originally silver so I sprayed them dark walnut to match the new dark walnut stained top. I glazed w/ a mix of 1 part gray paint and 3 parts glaze to tone it down. Who wants a dresser that looks like a bright ugly striped shirt? Don't like my man in one and don't like a dresser wearing one either.

Just another one for that someday beach house.

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Friends Who Pick Trash Just For You

2012-01-01T23:02:00.003-05:00

Aren't they the best kind? Here's a little quick trash to treasure compliments of a friend.

Wishing you all a very happy 2012! Now back to watching the Giants kick a little Cowboys butt!

Linking up here...

Beach Style Nightstand

2011-12-29T23:22:00.006-05:00

As you may know or maybe not, one of my dreams is to own a beach house. Nothing fancy...I don't do fancy. It's not going to happen in the upcoming year but a girl can dream, can't she? So this was inspired by my dream which will be a reality someday. Not this year but someday.

I hope you, all of you, who inspire me daily have your dreams come true too!

Happy New Year to you!

Linking up here...

="http://romantichome.blogspot.com/">

Farmhouse Stool

2011-12-27T14:27:00.004-05:00

Remember this stool that I dubbed crappy and then painted and love it and priced it on the high side in my Etsy shop in hopes it wouldn't sell. So much for crappy, it sold in less than a week and I was so bummed and wished I'd kept it for myself. Then I found another...taller but just as "crappy". I finished it the exact same way and love it just the same and will sell it and be sad when I have to see it go.

Linking up here...

Beatles Art

2011-12-26T16:00:00.005-05:00

Who doesn't LOVE The Beatles? Made this for Christmas for my special friend who loves The Beatles almost as much as I do.

It was a huge pain because I made some of the stencils out of contact paper and an exacto knife. I am exacto knife challenged. He loved it so all the ~~cursing~~ love that went into it was worth it.

I used some vinyl letters, stencils and images off the internet to create my own stencils.

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday w/ family and friends. Now it's back to painting for me w/ my favorite present...chalk paint! Thanks to my special friend who btw left the special paint gift at his house by accident. Now I must wait just a little longer.

Linking up here..

="http://romantichome.blogspot.com/">

Another Gray Blue Dresser and the Fate of its Mirror

2011-12-09T19:52:00.004-05:00

Yup, I've mixed up some blue gray again. I've had a lot of people inquire on Etsy about my other two dressers that had sold. So, this can not be a bad way to go, I'm thinking. Hoping this one hits the road quick.

Here it is drawers primed.


And look at that mirror, beautiful, right?

Sad thing though, it has some serious silver streaking. I knew it when I bought it but thought I'll just replace the mirror minus the bevel. How much can that possibly cost? Let's just say I had to pick my jaw up off the floor when the woman at the glass store told me the price.

With jaw back in place, I leave w/ mirror in hand. Driving home and brainstorming, it hits me...forgo the mirror. Not entirely, just for now. Plan B is paint the frame and chalkboard paint the mirror. And of course grab those awesome carvings off the base for a future project. Now I am feeling much better.

Still with me?

Notice I changed the top drawer knobs. Since this isn't really gender specific, I decided to list it in my Etsy shop w/ either knob option and choice of fabric. One more masculine, the other feminine. Which do you prefer?


Love these knobs. Picked them up at Marshalls...4 for 10.00!

Now let's hope this finds its way out of my garage ASAP. I am running out of room. Swore I'd stay away from the flea market today, yeah right!

Linking up here...

Shabby Chic Demi Lune Table

2011-12-07T17:58:00.004-05:00

Love when I find these little tables. This one is a favorite. It's got beautiful carved legs and a scalloped apron and top.

Painted creamy white and glazed. How could I not glaze those legs?

Thanks for poppin' in!

Linking up here....

Easy No Sew Place Mats

2011-11-30T07:59:00.007-05:00

For the glue gunner and spray adhesive kinda girl...

A happy accident...I'm at Joanne's and have this "Idaho Potato" burlap and this other kinda elegant looking fabric in my hands. I drop 'em down at the register and they look like they were meant to be together. Elegant meets rustic just look awesome together.

I cut out the black fabric to standard place mat size...14" x 18"....googled that piece of info. Then cut the burlap 12" x 16". I used Loctite Spray Adhesive to put them together. It says it's water and heat resistant...hmmm we shall see when I run them through the washing machine. Added my favorite stencil to the center and done!

Linking up here...

Turquoise Drop Leaf Table

2011-11-28T20:09:00.005-05:00

This was a favorite flea market find from a few weeks back. Wish I could find the before pic but it is MIA. Love those cottage legs and the drop leaf. Painted turquoise w/ a Minwax Dark Walnut top.

Linking up here...

1930's Head and Footboard

2011-11-27T19:59:00.006-05:00

Finally got to this. It's part of a 1930's bedroom set I've been slowly working on.

When I started to prep it, I realized the rails didn't match and were two different sizes in length. I lucked out huge when I found some "new" rails at the flea market for a whopping $5.00.

It was in some pretty rough shape.

But not anymore :)

Here are the other pieces from the set I finished in case ya missed them. I still have the chifferobe/armoire to do...it has some leg issues that are not makin' happy.

This has found a new home in a salon in Florida...love that!


Hoping someone will buy this and the headboard. I put it on CL and in my Etsy shop...keepin' my fingers crossed.

Linking up here...

Spray Painting Mania

2011-11-23T22:35:00.010-05:00

In my last post I told you how I was a spray painting maniac...giving new life to ~~junk~~ my wonderful finds. Here are a couple more....

Serious potential here....look at those legs.

Someone missed their reupholstering 101 class.

Love it now!

Plain shutter...

becomes a little shabby coat/towel rack w/ glass knobs found at Michaels.

Oh and I made these chocolate chip cookie dough truffles that are all over Pinterest. They're for my daughter, Michelle, who will be 16 tomorrow. How very Martha of me!

Wishing you and your families a very Happy Thanksgiving~Peace to you!

Linking up here....

http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com/

Spray Paint and Fabric

2011-11-22T22:19:00.008-05:00

A quickie....I spent last night digging up neglected "stuff" lingering in my garage. I pulled out the spray paint and got many little things accomplished. I'll show you the rest another time. Love how this turned out though.

From el cheapo to...

El Chico!

Linking up here...

http://www.domestically-speaking.com/2011/11/101st-power-of-paint-parties-guest-bedrooms.html

French Chair and a Little Gesso

2011-11-18T10:50:00.001-05:00

Check out this chair...those carvings, the curvy legs. This was a must have and the woman selling wasn't movin' on the price.....this does not make happy. Negotiating is one of my favorite parts of shopping at the flea market and some simply suck the joy out of it.

Many of my bloggy friends have asked me what color blue gray I use. It's my go to color. I just love it. Love how it takes on a different color depending on the lighting.....dark room appears bluer, light room then grayer. I just mix up some oops paint. A little gray, some blue and white if ya want to lighten it up a bit. I added gesso to this white ala Villabarnes style. It gives the paint a kinda flat look. Oh and I was curious what gesso was made from and guess what??? Chalk...but ya didn't hear it from me, ha! So put away your plaster of paris and sodium carbonate ~~my cheap friends~~ Ladies and give this a try.

OK, back to the chair....gettin' a little chat happy over here...

Isn't she lovely, isn't she wonderful (insert Stevie Wonder voice) 'cause ya don't want to hear me singing it, trust me on this.

And now for a little photo overkill...

Happy weekend!

Linking up here...

Rustic Beach Table

2011-11-16T10:57:00.006-05:00

I find these tables a lot and love them. I just did one in turquoise. This one I decided to give a "put me in a beach house" face lift.

So perfect for the beach house I don't have!

Have a great day. I am off to meet a friend for lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.

Linking up here...

Linking up here....

To Paint or Not to Paint...that is the Question.

2011-11-14T18:43:00.007-05:00

What do you do when you find something super cool that maybe, just maybe, you shouldn't be painting?? And you simply can't help yourself. And out come the brushes and the next thing you know, you're mixing up some paint.

Check out these Florence, Italy nesting tables. In my defense they were in pretty crappy shape.

Picked them up at the flea market a few weeks back and not even going to tell you for how much, ha!

I painted them blue/gray and silver. Kinda hard to tell where the silver is from the pics but I painted the area that is white in above pic w/ metallic silver then glazed them in charcoal. How could I not? Look at all those carved areas begging me to.

I love how the color changes depending on the lighting. I also love what I scored these for ;)

Linking up here...

Inspired By Villabarnes

2011-11-13T17:51:00.006-05:00

I have to shout out to Rosemary from Villbarnes. She is crazy creative and has an imagination that is out of this world. ...putting good use to things others might consider rubbish...ok so I just got back from Ireland and I just love that word, rubbish....especially in my fake British accent.

So here is my little black sewing bench that had I not stumbled on Rosemary's blog, would have painstakingly stripped. Instead, I mixed some white oops w/ gesso. Why I had a little bottle of gesso laying around is anyones guess. But I did and that's all that really matters.

I made some stripes by using painters tape and added my favorite stencil to some burlap.

Painted then heavily distressed.

Thanks Rosemary for the inspiration :)

Linking up here...

Another Stripper!

2011-11-09T14:54:00.007-05:00

I was hoping to get away w/ a quick sanding...wasn't happening. Used Citrastrip and Citrastrip Wash....suddenly my new best friends...still took a long time to get them primer and paint ready. Who am I kidding? Oh and lets not forget the pieces of veneer ripped off the top and the back that needed to be replaced.

Some new ply wood and good to go!

Now check out this before and after of an awesome desk by Life on Walnut Street. Don't these two look like they were previously painted by the same person...crazy!

All stripped, primed, painted and glazed...

He matches perfectly to this dresser.

Linking up here...

Little French Stool

2011-11-08T21:14:00.007-05:00

When you redo something that is kinda crappy you don't care so much if it turns out well, like crap. This stool has a million dings and has been around a while. So rather than fight it, I just went with it...a little French farmhouse chic. I love this little guy now.

One crappy stool


French stencil added and sanded back a bit.

A little stain and some crappy pics but you get the idea.


A little French blue paint, sanded and glazed.


Much better! Here's a better pic...

Cheaply farmhouse chic!

Linking up here...

Turquoise Inspired Sunday

2011-11-06T19:57:00.007-05:00

I bought this at the flea market over the weekend for three dollars. I thought it was super cool plus it goes great with jeans which I happen to live in. Wore it last night when I went to see The Fab Faux, a Beatles cover band that are absolutely amazing!

Found this too and decided to make it a turquoise kinda painting day.

And this little sewing drawer which got a dry brushed coat of turquoise and some fabric lining. Can't wait to see what I'll find next week at my flea market :) Happy painting to all!

Linking up here....

1930's Dresser

2011-11-02T18:21:00.007-04:00

I'm back from Ireland and can't begin to tell you how nice it was to see my son. The people there were so friendly and welcoming and the Baileys Cheesecake...YUM!

Remember the big score from last month? Well, I finally finished the dresser. The chifferobe is almost finished just having some leg issues. I'll tell you all about it when I post about it. Then on to the head/footboard.

Here it is w/ one drawer missing and tons of Quik Wood to repair missing veneer. See all those lovely little hunks of veneer on top of the dresser?

I sanded the top and stripped it w/ Citristrip. A ton of sanding went on before stripping to get out water stains and cigarette burn marks. I used this new stuff from Citristrip called Paint Stripper After Wash...loved it! It really got the surface ready for the stain.

Painted it the same color scheme as the matching vanity.


And two of my favorite people hanging out in a pub in Dublin.....my son, Mike, and my special friend, Dave, and of course me...happy, happy!

Linking up here....

Pottery Barn Style

2011-10-25T13:25:00.005-04:00

I had these matching chairs hanging around. The guy I buy my boxes for shipping gave me a drop leaf table that belonged to his dad. He had no use for it anymore so I happily took it off his hands :) I'm good like that. Little side note....tell everyone what you do. Ya never know what might freely fall in your lap.

Oh it's ugly in that garage!

Just goes to show ya, everything comes back in style. Notice the middle fabric...cheetah print.

These wire cutters made yanking the staples out so much easier than my needle nose pliers. They have also come in handy cutting orthodontic wires while on vaca. Not really the same pair but I love this pic and wanted to share it with you.

Me, the concerned Mom, my special friend, aka Dr. Dave orthodontist extraordinaire, my paranoid daughter and my idiot brother laughing in the background! Orthodontics at the RENTAL beach house before cocktail hour! A classic photo.

Apparently I didn't take a before pic of the drop leaf table....oops!

Now I am off to Ireland! No kidding....going to visit my son who is doing his first semester there. So, yay me!! I can't wait to see him! Have a great week!

Linking up here...

A Little Hot Pink and Zebra Print

2011-10-20T22:05:00.004-04:00

I love these ice cream parlor chairs. They have great lines and the possibilities are endless. This one got a little spray of hot pink. Spray paint...whoever came up with this awesome, time saver in a can is right up there with Mike Wolfe in my world. I scored the zebra print fabric in the 50% off remnants while impatiently waiting on the way too long line at Joanne's.

I asked my daughter, Julia, to stabilize it for me while I drilled holes to attach the seat and she said...Should I sit on it? I replied....only if you want me to drill through your ass, ha! OK I made her a bit paranoid. Thinkin' paybacks for the teenage years.

I love this chair. It was simple but something about it makes me happy :)

Linkin' up here....

Am I Boring You?

2011-10-13T15:04:00.005-04:00

Well I'm boring me. I did this dresser the same as this one because someone liked the other but it had already sold. Which of course makes happy but none the less, same paint, same pulls, same stain....same old, same old. This one had too much prep work involved for my liking. A somewhat cheap find on CL, after all I am cheap, but we established that already, now didn't we?? Thinkin' Uniquely Cheap may be more fitting, hmmm.


Likin' those decoupaged grapes aren't you?? Oh how I hate those grapes but we'll get to that in the next pic. Oh and I also hate a million coats of paint and what someone else considered glazing.

These little suckers did not want to come off. Not even w/ paint stripper. They just hung on there for dear life until I zapped them w/ wallpaper remover. Still had to scrape away like a crazy person but they came off. Grapes are great w/ cheese and of course for making wine but not great on this.

Bring on my resident stripper, My Michelle. She loves stripping, paint that is. Look at that girl happily stripping away. It's like Christmas or something in her world. Gotta love this child :)

All stripped except the turned legs...was not going to go there...trust me, you don't want to either. Gave them a good sanding and called it a day.

And here she is in all her grapeless glory!

Linking up here...

Are You Kidding Me???

2011-10-05T21:57:00.008-04:00

Yup, that's what I said when I found this complete 1930's bedroom set on Craiglist for 50.00. This is my best score to date. I was in picker heaven. Yes, I have a little obsession going on over here and his name is Mike Wolfe, haha! Please don't tell my husband...oh that's right, I don't have one, ha!

The set belonged to the mother of the woman I bought it from. It was given to her mom and husband as a wedding gift. Love hearing the history that sometimes goes with the find.

I started w/ the vanity and am SLOWLY making progress on the chifferobe/armoire. The head and foot board are still waiting and so is the dresser that has the same beautiful mirror as the vanity. I am having too much fun working on these, accept for the fact, there is no where to move in my garage.....just this skinny, little narrow space.

I primed it and made the mistake of using water based only to have the dreaded bleed through. So I primed again w/ oil based Kilz and painted it a soft blue from Martha Stewarts line...can't recall the name, something with an A and Elegant Lace by Glidden. I never buy paint other than the oops stuff but I needed to splurge so I wouldn't run out. Oh and I really, really wanted to splurge on chalk paint but they don't call me The Cheap Mom over here for nothin'.

I totally love this and I love the happy accident of capturing the rose bush in the mirror.

A little toile fabric lining the drawers and the top stained in Minwax American Walnut.

Like I said, this was my best find yet but like anything old it always comes with issues...peeling veneer, joints that need to be tightened, 100 year old grime that needs to be cleaned up before the painting fun can begin. So happy painting to you! And excuse my relentless bragging of my cheap finds!!!

Linking up here....

I Love Blue/Gray Paint

2011-09-19T21:06:00.007-04:00

I just finished this one...the weather here in NJ is perfect for painting these last few days. I know it won't last long...probably should be doing yard work but we all have our priorities in order, now don't we? Tomorrow I have to do not so fun painting.....priming the basement walls, ugh!

Painted my favorite blue/gray. I sanded down the top and stained Minwax Dark Walnut. Sprayed the pulls w/ dark walnut and lined the drawers in a coordinating striped fabric. OK time to go check out the "NEW" Two and a Half Men while I tape "pickers".
Happy Monday!

Linking up here...

Replicating Decorative Trim on a Vanity Find

2011-09-16T20:54:00.009-04:00

The early bird gets the worm and guess who was not the early bird? And guess who missed out on awesome flea market finds? Yup, you got it, me. There were a few beautiful vintage dressers, super cheap, but when I inquired....SOLD. One vendor even quipped...these were sold before you even rolled out of bed! Ugh....must he even rub it in? But then I spied this, hidden behind some ~~junk~~ other wonderful finds meant for someone else. He says 75.00...I say, very sweetly, how about 50.00 and he says 60.00. Sold!

So, I get it home and notice there are pieces of decorative trim missing. And then
I come up with this awesome idea, if I do say so myself, to replicate the pieces of decorative molding. I have seen others use a similar method to create "wood" appliques using Sculpey Clay.

How many times have you passed up something because parts of the trim were missing?? Never again, my friends :)This post just might take me to 200 followers...I'm like the little engine that could, ha!

Using sculpey clay...press the clay on the trim/molding that still exists. Peel it off carefully....now you have your mold. Bake as the directions call for.

Apparently this was not Sculpey Clay in the craft box....ugh!

Found the true Sculpey Clay and now I have my molds. The pic is lame but you get the idea.

Use a piece of Quik Wood and press it into the Sculpey mold....don't let the QW set. Remove it and using a butter knife cut it to fit the missing area. Use a little wood glue to hold them in place once hardened. Are you totally loving me yet or what???

Prime, it, paint it and it's as good as new!

Can you find the "missing link"??

I replaced the tarnished original mirror and to cut cost used 1/8" thick mirror as opposed to the pricey original 1/4" and secured it w/ a bead of silicone.

I love this color!

Sadly the woven bench was coming apart so I cut ply wood and added foam and fabric and attached it to the bench w/ screws.

Love those original pewter pulls....they cleaned up super nice!

I just started a Facebook page to market my redos, it's on my side bar and I would love for you to like me!! You may already like me but not in the FB world :)
Happy weekend to all my blogging buddies who amaze and inspire me!

Linking here....

IRENE and a Buffet Server

2011-09-14T07:43:00.009-04:00

I'M BACK...

I started this post before Irene hit us....6 inches of water in my finished basement....everything ruined and insurance has denied the claim. My basement I dubbed "my happy place"...it's my space where I create. In the midst of all this, my son left for college to Ireland and was having a rough start. My heart was breaking for him.Thank God for Skype and Facebook to positive talk his negative. A huge tree fell and missed my house by a foot and that ensued a battle between me, the township and the association as to whose responsibility it was to remove (BTW I won, the association lost). The straw the broke this typically optimistic camels back... an employee of the company that did the clean up stole my Ipod. After I treated these strangers like family...pizza, snacks and coffee at the midnight hour. After that, I pretty much crawled into a little dark place and went MIA...just felt like if anything could go wrong, everything was going wrong.

Enough of my pity party...now on to the CL find buffet/side board.

OH it feels good to be back in the blogospere and painting again!

Linking here....

Polka Dots and Butterflies!

2011-08-22T14:39:00.007-04:00

This little set has been sitting and patiently waiting. While it waited it served this purpose.

Theses were covered in saw dust and cob webs.

I should have just spray painted the whole set pink and then added the accents. Not me though, I like wasting time and doing things the hard way. Actually, the thought never occurred to me until I finished hand painting the chairs.

My daughter said to go w/ a pink, brown and white theme. It is all the rage so I'm told.

Have I mentioned I need a new camera and oh I want a beach house too! I dragged this outside and the pics were even worse than inside....UGH!

HAPPY MONDAY!

Linking up here...

French Provincial and a Little Vintage Nightstand

2011-08-15T21:41:00.005-04:00

I love doing nightstands. They're usually quick redos with that instant gratification factor. Who doesn't love instant grat over sweating, stripping, sanding?

I showed you this one from my flea market find a couple of weeks back. I gave it a beachy coat of blue, the cutest little clam shell pull and lined the drawer in burlap.

And this one I found on Friday. I already spray primed when I remembered to take a pic. I mixed up the prettiest shade of Tiffany Box blue and accented the carvings in white and sprayed the original pull semi gloss white.

Is it me or is it really hard to capture the true color?? It makes me CRAZY! It's that time...American Pickers! Have a great week everyone!

Linking up here....

Cabinet Door to Beach Themed Message Board

2011-08-13T13:03:00.003-04:00

No before pic for ya because we all know what a builders special, oak cabinet door looks like anyway. Plus I simply forgot to take one.

This cabinet door was saved from my kitchen remodel. I painted the frame beachy blue and used chalkboard paint in the center. Added some starfish....have you picked up on the fact I love starfish and want a beach house yet? If not, stick around, it's great fun listening to me whine about the beach house thing all the time!

How cute is this for my ~~beach house~~ Etsy Shop???

Notice how the starfish keep the chalk handy?

Have a happy weekend!!!!

Linking up here...

Love/Hate Frenchy Dresser

2011-08-10T18:37:00.002-04:00

Gotta a little love/hate relationship going on with this one. What's to love?

FREE + FRENCH = LOVE

However, there's almost always a price to pay for FREE. This is where the hate part comes in. The price.... AGGRAVATION.

WARPED and BROKEN DRAWER BOTTOMS + UNSTABLE BODY = HATE

Lucky for me, I recently made a new friend, Jay, at the local building center who cut new drawer bottoms for me.

PRICE = $6 and a case of Budweiser

He's done me many favors like this lately so to show my appreciation, I brought him a case of his fave beer.

The body however was not an easy fix. I glued and clamped and glued and clamped again and it still wobbled...ugh. I just couldn't figure out what the problem was. I bought some corner brackets and screwed them in the top and bottom corners of the body of the dresser. Nope, still swaying and so not happy. I threw a blanket over it and let it sit for a month.

I discussed my dilemma w/ Jay and he suggested nailing plywood to the back. He cut me a piece (free) claiming at the register it was "scrap" and showed me the nails I should use. Worked like a CHARM!

I should stain the plywood, don't ya think?

PRICE = brackets... $2.36

nails... 1.99

Sanded, primed and painted w/ a blue oops concoction.

PRICE = .50 cents

Added some rose pulls and a resin rose swag.

PRICE = 4.00 yay Home Goods for the pretty el cheapo pulls

PRICE = Rose Swag...$2.25 on Etsy from http://www.etsy.com/shop/pjsw?ref=pr_shop_more

Gotta give a shout out to my fellow Etsy girls!

Total cost...$18.61, a case of Bud and a friend in high places, priceless!
Here it is now.....finally!

Love those little key holes!

Thanks for popping in and feeling my pain!

Linking up here....

Demi Lune Table and Friday Flea Market Finds!

2011-08-08T20:54:00.002-04:00

I was walking around the Flea market on Friday and found nothing, big fat ZERO! Until I rounded the last aisle of potential goodies.....crap in other peoples world...not in mine, not in yours.

This is what I found...

Free for me! Seems the vendor left his ~~crap~~ goodies behind because it was so hot!

Yup, has some major veneer issues that I plan on just yanking off. See I started already.

Cute 5 dollar nightstand...woo hoo! Love redoing nightstands!

Accent table which I think I just may mosaic. It's been way too long!

And lastly this very cool, carved demi lune table. The vendor wanted $15 for this and $10 for the one above. I offered, $20 for both...accepted! Ohhh I feel like I am an on American pickers sometimes. LOVE that show!!

Here's what I did w/ the demi lune. I painted it blue/gray and then glazed it. How could you not glaze this w/the beautiful carved leaf motif, right?


Unglazed and someone's house is a wreck. So much for staging, ha! This looks way grayer than it is.


Glazed...still not showing its true color....stupid camera :)

Well, it's American Pickers time so time for me to park it on the couch! If you've never checked that show out, you must....9:00 Central time on the History Channel!

Linking up here...

Little Pink Chair

2011-08-07T19:35:00.001-04:00

Isn't this a sweet and unusual chair? I love the three legs and the heart cut out. I saw it, grabbed it and knew it was going to get updated with pink paint, a little distressing and girly fabric.

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend full of great finds!

Linking up here...

French Mod Podge Fabric Table

2011-08-01T09:02:00.003-04:00

I'm finally back from 2 sunny weeks down the shore and couldn't wait to get painting again. Hope you are all enjoying the summer....going way too fast for me!

Found this a while back at the flea market. It sat because I wasn't crazy about the leather inlays and although they can be painted over easily, I just don't like that ridge they leave. I decided to mod podge some left over fabric on top of the inlays.

Lay out your fabric and paint a thin coat of Mod Podge on the "wrong" side. Let it dry and then cut to fit. This will eliminate any fraying.

Paint Mod Podge on to your surface paying extra close attention to the corners and sides. Lay your precut fabric in place and smooth out any air bubbles. Seal w/ varnish.

I really like how this turned out. Kinda gives a hand painted look and the fabric options are endless.

Have a happy week!

Linking up here...

French Bistro Sign

2011-07-20T17:13:00.001-04:00

I love this little $2 find....reminds me of an old tavern sign...complete w/ beer tabs as the hardware for hanging. I kid you not. Someone was quite resourceful.

I dry brushed on some white to give it a weathered look and painted the lettering in Wrought Iron then sanded it down to tone it down. I used a freebie font site and my projector to enlarge the font. I had the stencil laying around and it seemed to go perfectly w/ the Frenchy Message.

Ohhh La la!

Linking up here...

Mirrors, Mirrors and Little Table

2011-07-19T09:17:00.002-04:00

I have been busy, busy over here. The beginning of last week unpacking from our Boston trip then packing for our happy 2 week beach trip. As much as I LOVE it here, I miss painting and projects when I'm away. So, I scrounged around the garage for a couple of small items to change up while away.

In between the packing and unpacking, I've been working on a few things...a couple of mirrors and a little vintage table. Should have saved the mirrors for the trip.

Love the scrolls but the gawdy gold had to go.

A little turquoise paint and metallic silver followed by black glaze.

Another gold beauty.

Just a little peek because all the full mirror pics looked washed out.

I love these little demi lune tables.

Off to the bakery for some yummy crumb cake and buttered rolls then parking it on the beach! Buttered rolls are a must at the Jersey Shore. Snookie however, is not.
Have a great week and stay cool, it's going to be a hot one!

Linking up here...

Drop Leaf Table

2011-07-11T12:24:00.002-04:00

Hope everyone had a nice weekend. I spent mine in Boston for my son's college orientation. He will be going to Northeastern but studying his first semester in Ireland. I'm nervous about him being so far away but hear Ireland is a wonderful place. Has anyone ever been? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Now onto this cute drop leaf table. The guy selling them had 2 and I was an idiot and only grabbed one. If I told you what I paid for it, you would say I'm an idiot too.


I started sanding and then remembered to take a pic.


Restained in walnut and painted my favorite shade of blue then glazed in charcoal.

Linking up here...

The Vaseline Trick

2011-06-29T19:45:00.003-04:00

I love the chippy look of furniture and couldn't wait to try out Kim's vaseline trick. If you aren't familiar w/ Kim, well she does some awesome furniture redo's over at A Brush of Whimsy.

I found this awesome dresser at the flea market....$30...cheap finds are my favorite! Some of the casters were missing so I just yanked them all off.

Mixed up some blue paint....really wanted it to be a little grayer but that always seems to happen to me. Primed w/ Kilz spray primer 'cause I'm lazy and just want to get down to painting. I put down the vaseline before I primed and was careful around those areas when I painted. Won't get into a big long explanation of the vaseline trick 'cause Kim has already done that for you. Check her out! Sanded the top down and stained w/ Minwax Dark Walnut.

Linking up here...

Plank Pine Table

2011-06-26T23:08:00.001-04:00

Quick and easy....I needed a side table to go w/ my new beachy family room. This was a freebie....LOVE FREE.. who doesn't? Sanded off the top and restained w/ Minwax Dark Walnut. Painted w/ an oops white, distressed and lightly glazed w/ dark walnut.

Just love the rustic plank top furniture!

Happy Monday!

Linking up here....

Shutter Upcycled

2011-06-14T21:42:00.002-04:00

Shutters remind of quaint cottages in beach towns where someday I hope to find myself living. But for now, I am stuck in suburbia. I found a few at a garage sale and sprayed this one blue. Not the blue I was going for but it was the only one on the garage shelf. I dry brushed it w/ white to tone it down and sanded to give it a more weathered look. Painted the words, Cottage...by the sea, while watching the Republican debates last night. Yup, who would have figured me for a girl into politics... my soon to be poly sci major son can take credit for that.

A starfish was added 'cause I just love them!

One more time...I want a beach house....someday :)

Linking up here...

Decorative Painting Not So Pretty

2011-06-12T21:13:00.006-04:00

I found this when I scored the big haul at the flea market a few weeks back. It was loaded w/ white paint and embellished w/ a poor attempt at decorative painting. It got a good stripping w/ Citrastrip which BTW was a huge pain in the ~~ass~~ you know what.


The top had the same pretty floral motif as the shelf. The legs were adorned w/ this garland like thingie.

After the big boring somewhat therapeutic stripping....I stained the top w/ Minwax Dark Walnut, painted it w/ a pretty blue oops paint, distressed and used the stain again on the distressed areas. Ahhhh much better!

Linking up here......

Little Pink Nightstand

2011-06-07T16:07:00.004-04:00

As usual in NJ, we went from no Spring to the humidity and heat of Summer. And my frizzy hair is the proof :) Makes for no fun painting in the garage :( So I brought this nightstand inside for a final coat of pink paint.

It was in great shape except for the heavy coat of black paint on the top.

My daughter, Michelle, has a paint stripping obsession, lucky me!

Sanded, primed, painted pink and now she is ready for a little girl's room.

Linking up here....

Summer State of Mind

2011-05-26T17:32:00.002-04:00

I grabbed these at the flea market....priced at 10.00 for the set. I know I have a bad habit of bragging about my cheap finds. Hope ya don't mind. Ya know how some people brag about how pricey their new shoes are. I brag when I find a bargain.

I knew exactly what I was going to do with them.

I used spray primer on them after I washed and sanded them. There was literally bird droppings all over them, nice! Maybe that's why they were so cheap, hmmm.


Paint them all bright and beachy! Can't you just see these on a porch down the shore? Maybe in Key West? A kids playroom surrounding a big craft table? Kids fighting over which color they get to sit in? OK back to reality :) I will not be happy when I have to part with these.

I love these chairs. Just looking at them makes me happy and reminds me summer is almost here!


I sprayed them with these...quick and simple!

Happy Memorial Weekend! Hope you all have something fun planned! I will be heading down the shore w/ my girlfriends for a couple of nights and can't wait to sit on the beach, eat, drink and laugh!!!!

Linking up here...

Cottage Blue Nightstand

2011-05-24T08:26:00.004-04:00

One of my favorite parts of painting furniture is choosing and sometimes mixing the color. This nightstand reminded me of something you might find in a cottage style home....love those turned legs. I used different oops paints, mixed them up and came up with this shade of blue.

The porcelain rose knob was a Home Goods find....6 of them for 9.99. I'm going to use some of them on my freebie French Provincial dresser which is in the works.

Have a happy day~Sue

Linking up here...

Cheap French Side Table

2011-05-22T17:11:00.005-04:00

This has been hanging around for a while. It was in a miserable state...serious scratches to the surface but it was el cheapo and therefore came home with me. Have I mentioned my kids call me "the cheap Mom", yup and I'm proud of it. I sanded the living hell out of it, primed and painted w/ my blue oops paint. These little jars really go a long way and for 50 cents, it's no wonder I stalk the oops table regularly. Any other stalkers out there?


See all those windows just waiting for me to do something with them. I think I want to ~~attempt~~ make a side table out of one.

A little spray primer and it's looking like it just might have a little potential.

It has this little sliding tray that pulls out. The knob was missing so I added a glass one.

Pictures really do look nicer outside.

Oh and remember this little fiasco? Here is the fabric that was finally chosen.

Notice not a touch of pink or brown :)

Linking up here...

Hitting the Jackpot of Junk!

2011-05-21T13:02:00.001-04:00

The flea market had some great junk today. Just lookie what I found all in the span of an hour. Junking at its finest!! And check out the pic below, a mere 25.00...woo hoo! Have a great weekend :)

My neighbors must think I have a screw loose as I display and snap photos of my glorious junk, ha!

The Customer is ALWAYS Right....ARGHHH!

2011-05-17T13:38:00.000-04:00

So I'm working w/ this woman through email to do up some chairs for her.....French style. Great, I love the Frenchy thing. I had two of these ugly chairs w/ great lines so this was the starting point. She wanted them painted blue gray like these tables she had purchased from me.

I painted them, glazed them and then headed to the fabric store w/ French on my mind. Oh and she also said she liked blue and white. Here are the fabrics I came home with. Keep in mind Joanne's now accepts returns on cut fabric. How good is that?

Would be nice w/ a damask stencil on it.

Hate it!

Do the stencil thing and ooo la la!


My personal fave.

So, I flip her the pics and she now tells me this is for an 8 year olds room and could I find a fabric that is more "fun" and w/ pink and brown it. UGH! Are you kidding me??? There is nothing fun about this chair and there is nothing fun about running back and forth to the fabric store. I don't even think I can bring myself to put fun fabric on these.

Blue, Blue and More Blue

2011-05-14T17:24:00.004-04:00

I found the prettiest shade of blue oops paint the other day. I also found these items at the flea market. What's a girl to do but paint 'em blue.

Seen better days 5.00 bench


Burlap like fabric gets stenciling.

Glazed and heavily distressed. I really like this and think I just might keep it for me.


Not the same table because I forgot to take a before but you get the idea...$5.00. Cute and beachy w/ a little pencil starfish.


Vintage sewing drawer...$1.00 These are great for storing all kinds of things. Check out what Carol from The Polka Dot Closet did w/ her sewing drawer finds. Carol was my very first commenter and I'm pretty sure first follower too. She is extremely creative and super sweet! Back to the garage to finish one more piece I'm painting in this pretty blue. Have a happy weekend!

Linking up here...

French Country Nightstand

2011-05-09T22:25:00.005-04:00

There was just something about this that screamed farmhouse style from the minute I saw it. Maybe it's the cabinet door that reminded me of an old barn door. Don't ya just love when you know exactly what you're going to do with something even before the $ is flying out of your hand? And don't ya just love when you forget to put the memory card in the camera when taking a before pic...ugh!

Well here is the after....

I almost think the door should be removed...shame to hide the red toile fabric,


But I love that barn door.

Here it is before I hinged the door back on.

Guess it could go either way. I'll put it in my Etsy shop and let the buyer decide....door or no door...that is the question.

Linking up here...

18th Bday Present

2011-05-08T11:45:00.000-04:00

My son, Mike, turned 18 today....crazy! Feels like just yesterday I was telling him not to eat rocks. And in the blink of an eye suddenly he has grown up into a person I am so proud to call my son.

A few weeks back we were in Virginia. We rented a cabin that had all these inspiring quotes hanging on the walls, sitting on dressers, everywhere you looked. The kind of quotes that really make you think. My son said to me...I'll bet you love all these different quotes. Yup, sure do. I started to tell him my favorite when he chimed in and told me the one he really likes...sure enough it was my favorite too :)


I made him this for his Birthday.


And of course, the cheesy and corny Mom that I am had to inscribe the back :)

Happy Mother's Day to all my blog buddies!

Take A Seat

2011-05-05T12:10:00.003-04:00

It's so 70's bench gets a little make over. And it sure needed one. Here it is w/ it's crushed velvet fabric.

I painted it Ben Moore Dove White and added some blue and white fabric. In the middle of recovering I ran out of staples which did not make for happy.

Amazing what a little paint and fabric can do :)

Linking up here...

Don't You Forget About Me

2011-05-02T21:00:00.005-04:00

Feels like it's been a while. Life has been busy, some things good some not so but that is life. If everything were good all of the time, we simply wouldn't appreciate the good as we should. So, I banged out a couple of small flea market finds that I'll share and that is pretty much it. I miss painting so much when I don't have the time for it. I know you can relate.

Gawdy 70's gold mirror.

My favorite blue paint.


And a little charcoal glaze.

Where I spent happy time w/ my favorite people.

Hiking!

Luray Caverns in Virginia

Yup, we tourists from Jersey pulled over and mooed at these guys!

Free for me!

Painted a pretty aqua blue and added some rose buds.

Changed out the lions head pulls for these pretty flowers....$8.00 for 6 at Home Goods...yay!

Thanks for popping in and not forgetting about me!

Linking up here...

Cute Cottage Chair

2011-04-17T21:01:00.003-04:00

This chair was a $5 flea market find. It has pretty cottage lines and ya gotta just love that orange fabric. I filled in some of the dings, primed and painted it Ben Moore White Dove and recovered it in a pretty blue and white fabric. I had a new cushion made up at the flea market. How convenient is that? There's a shop inside that cuts foam. One stop shopping...gotta love that! I really love this chair and it goes perfectly w/ my new family room set. I just wish I had space for it :(


Before

Thinking maybe I should slightly distress. My daughter says no, but I would so like my bloggy friends opinions.

After

Linking up here...

Take A Walk on the Wild Side

2011-04-11T22:06:00.007-04:00

When I see French Provincial furniture, I always think feminine and painted in pretty pastel shades. Oh, contraire with this tall CL find. In walk Martin and his wife Joellen, a very nice couple that stopped by to check out some furniture. Martin fell in love w/ this tall dresser that had been waiting to be painted. My plan....pale robins egg blue w/ touches of white. Martin's plan....Platypus style, particularly the fresco finish. Translation...orange. Say it isn't so. Oh, it's so. If you've never checked out the line of Platypus furniture, you must. The finishes and colors are crazy inspirational.

Unfortunately, I didn't take pics through the process. I guess I was thinking this will be disastrous. I undercoated the drawer fronts w/ Rustoleum Dark Walnut spray paint because Martin liked distressing and the veneer on this wasn't going to cut it when I took sand paper to it. After the paint dried, I grabbed a white candle ans rubbed it on areas I planned to distress. This is done so you don't pull off all your "hard work"
spraying only to leave yourself w/ the original icky finish.

Next the dreaded orange was painted on the drawer fronts and I am thinking a glass of wine is not a bad idea. At this point, I'm absolutely cringing...the wine helped :) Praying glaze will come through in the end and make all better. The body of the dresser I painted a deep espresso brown...cause Martin said to, ha! Good call, Martin.

Oh how I wish I took pics so you could empathize and feel my pain. I did snap this to show the orange ugliness before glazing...
.


Lovely!

After I glazed the drawer fronts in a deep brown, I was happily surprised how it turned out. Painting your own vision is one thing but trying to paint someone elses is tough. I hope Martin loves it. He is fantastic, a UPS driver, and since we met takes pics of roadside finds and emails them to me complete w/ addresses! How nice and thoughtful is that?

I lined the drawers w/ a very cool fabric and used a template made out of poster board to get those curves right.

I still have to email Martin pics and am keeping my fingers crossed that I pulled off what he envisioned.


Looks like I have to do something about that area I sanded...maybe paint 'em up like Chrissie does.

Linking up here...

Weathered TurquoiseTable

2011-04-01T23:59:00.001-04:00

Sometimes instant gratification is a good thing. Kinda like this little 5 dollar table find. Oh, how I love MY flea market!!! I mixed up a little turquoise paint, painted and distressed the legs and dry brushed the top. Gotta love the simplicty of dry brushing yet the results are super cool.

Remembered the before! I really hate when I forget to take one.

Well check me out getting all creative with those starfish.

Add caption

Dry brushing is a technique where you just barely get paint on your brush and lightly stroke it on the surface. So easy and gives a time worn weathered look yet it only took you a few minutes :) Who knew?

Happy Weekend Everyone!!!!!

Linking up here....

Hello Spring Dresser

2011-03-31T20:42:00.008-04:00

Doesn't feel much like Spring here. In fact, it's supposed to snow tomorrow. Are you kidding me? Thought it was some cruel April Fools joke the weather guy decided to play....wishful thinking. Since it's so not Spring like here, I decided to paint this a bring on Spring, sunny, happy color.


It was in nice shape except for a couple of minor veneer issues and a piece of molding torn off. I pulled the intact piece off and naturally saved it for some other future find..


There was also a buckling drawer issue that I didn't notice until I got it home. This was replaced w/ a new piece of plywood.

I didn't prime because I planned to distress it quite a bit and didn't want the white primer to show through. Instead, I sanded it a little more heavily to give the paint something to grab on to. I sanded the original stain off the top and restained w/ Minwax dark walnut.


Isn't the wood grain on this beautiful?

And here is the happy, sunny, wish it was 70 degrees yellow dresser...

Have a happy and hopefully sunny weekend!

Linking up here...

http://www.shabbynest.blogspot.com/

Shabby Chic Accent Table

2011-03-27T22:29:00.003-04:00

They said $10 and I said ...how about $5? Deal, yay! Funny how haggling becomes second nature. Forgot to take a before but picture a dark wood accent table w/ nice turned legs, scalloped lower shelf. This had shabby chic written all over it and that is what I did.

See those little corner appliques? Well I ~~ripped~~ gently tore them off of this 50 cent frame which I used to make these.

Hope everyone had a happy and peaceful weekend! And where the heck is the Spring weather in my neck of the woods??? Hope wherever you are, you have reached above the 40's! I'm still impatiently waiting.

Linking up here...

Framed Starfish

2011-03-26T20:26:00.004-04:00

These are pretty quick and easy to make. All you need are a few old frames, paint, starfish and ribbon or jute. I picked up these old frames for 50 cents at the thrift store. I had the starfish laying around from this fun dresser redo. The jute had been stashed away from my Girl Scout leader days when we painted terracotta pots and tied them w/ raffia for Mother's day gifts. That was a long time ago and how I remembered exactly where I put it should say something about my organizational skills. Trust me, it was a fluke!

Linking up....

French Curvy Nightstands

2011-03-20T19:32:00.004-04:00

How pretty are these??? Loved them the minute I laid eyes on them. There are two of them but I'll show you just one since I did them up the same anyway. These are perfect for glazing since they have so many carved areas.

Amazing what glaze can do.

Love the engraved vine design on the leather top.

I'm selling these in my Etsy shop if anyone is interested in one or both of these. Hope everyone has a great weekend...Happy Spring!
Linking up here...

Turquoise Blue Vintage Dresser

2011-03-14T20:14:00.006-04:00

Hope everyone had a great weekend and enjoyed the extra hour of daylight. I spent a good part of the weekend hanging in my garage with my ipod stuck in my ear, completely immersed in fixing and painting this CL find. There is no place else that I'd rather be, well maybe on a beach in the Caribbean w/ a salted rim margarita in hand. Who am I kidding? But I do love painting something that's seen better days and making it happy and new again. It just makes me happy :)

Major veneer issues that were fixed with Quik Wood...love this stuff!

It seems I didn't take any pics while painting...guess I got caught up in the moment. Another problem I encountered was the mirror was missing from the dresser leaving behind holes on the surface where the mirror should be attached.

This is what I did to take care of the problem...

I bought a piece of moulding at HD that was wide enough to cover the holes and then had the HD guy cut it to size.

I sprayed it Krylons Dark Walnut and cleaned up the original pulls w/ the same. When it was dry, I painted it to match the dresser and distressed it to show some of the walnut spray paint.

Here it is all finished w/ a stunning backdrop of my dirty garage.

Linking up here......

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Double Vision

2011-03-07T21:22:00.004-05:00

Picked up this pair of nightstands at the flea market which is finally open again after a long winter. You have no idea how much I missed this place from the eclectic and amusing vendors to the awesome finds. It just felt great walking around there again.

Bow front drawers, silver clam shell pulls, curvy legs and mine for 20.00.

Painted and ready for glaze.

Can you tell the one on the right has silver metallic glaze and the other one doesn't?? It shimmers just a little. Still have to do the other...tomorrow.

Well, look at me staging :) I should probably get a close up of those pulls. The reason I silver glazed in the first place.

Linking up here...

Mackenzie Childs Style

2011-03-03T21:09:00.016-05:00

I found this old table at the flea market and loved all the great detail on it. My plan was to strip the top, stain it and of course paint it blue but the plan changed when I found a hairline crack running through the center. I used would filler to seal it up but thought it would still be obvious through the stain. So I went to plan B: paint it Mackenzie Childs style.


Dowel constructed and it was a little wobbly so I used some wood glue and clamps to sturdy it up. All in the comfort of my family room . Honestly, I can't even complain about the kids messing the house up. I am by far the biggest mess maker!

Mathematical drag of taping off squares.

Yay...all finished!

Linking up here,,,

Pretty Please w/ a Cherry on Top :)

2011-02-25T18:48:00.003-05:00

Yay me, I'm a finalist for February's Saturday Mornings blog. Very cool and since I never win, ok, that's a stretch. In fact, I do crazy well at the craps tables in AC and roulette too. That's Atlantic City for the non East Coasters. But I have never won anything, nope not a thing, in blog world. So hop on over here and check it out and of course voting for me certainly wouldn't hurt either :) Then maybe I'll bring you to AC w/ me and I'll show you how to roll those dice, win a little $ and we can hit the thrift stores together!

Gray Vintage Side Table

2011-02-20T23:27:00.008-05:00

Hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend. I lucked out and had front row seats to a John Lennon tribute at a small theater Saturday night. I have never sat front row in my life and it was amazing. I am a huge Beatles fan ever since my mom took me to see Beatlemania when I was in the 7th grade. Off my love of the Beatles and onto the vintage table redo.

Very cool table but the top was a mess and I really wanted to stain it but the previous stain ran too deep.

Primed w/ gray spray primer. Too many nooks and crevices to brush on so I took the easy way out.


Painted gray w/ the slightest touch of blue...just had to. You know me and my blue thing.

I'm thinking maybe I should paint the top a flat black.What do you think? Or maybe a harlequin pattern w/ charcoal black?


I'm going to put it in my Etsy shop as is for now and see if it moves. If not then I'll change it up a bit. UPDATE: A couple of blog friends thought black would be the way to go and I agree. So, I got up this morning and added a couple of coats of flat black. I like it better this way. What do you think? l

Linking up here...