Friday, January 27, 2012

One of my first pieces

Hello, there! I haven't forgotten about you, I promise. Still getting over being sick and not yet in the swing of things. But I thought I had better post something or I might as well not have a blog at all, right?

Anyway, today I want to share one of the first pieces of furniture I painted, the standing mirror in my bedroom. I was inspired by Kelsey over at Tattered and Inked. She had a similar mirror that she painted and it looks great. I didn't take many pics at the time and the quality isn't very good but here's what it looked like before (I had already taken it apart to paint):
Just your basic standing mirror in a cherry finish.

Here's what it looks like now:
After I took it apart, I glued on a couple of wood pieces to the top and bottom of the mirror to dress it up a bit. I then painted it using two different colors from paint samples that I already had. I did this because I knew I was going to distress it and I wanted the undercoat to show through. The first layer was a very pretty robin's egg blue. I then took a white shade called Swiss Coffee (again in a sample size) and put on a couple of coats of that. When it was dry, which didn't take long because the paint was in a flat finish, I took my trusty sanding block and lightly distressed the edges and corners, making sure the first layer of blue showed through. Here's a detailed pic of one of the wood pieces. I tried to get a good shot of the blue showing through but I don't know if you can see it:


This is one of the first pieces I did and I must say I think it looks pretty good. I have actually done another mirror since then that I like even better. I'll show you that one in another post.

Well, that's it for today. I hope you have a wonderful Friday and I'll see you next time. Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Little Green Table

Sorry it's been so long since my last post, guys, but I was sick last week and didn't feel like doing much of anything. But I'm back in the land of the living and ready to jump back in:)

I was so excited this morning that I literally screamed. My son came running into the room asking what was wrong.:) Oh, nothing. Just that I was featured on A Stroll Thru Life! I couldn't believe it. I feel so honored. Thanks, Marty!

Anyway, today I thought I'd share a small table makeover. Last year, my MIL needed a small table to put between two chairs. I happened to have this in my garage (a yard sale find for $5!):



It was the right size but the color of the wood wasn't right. Not to mention that the top looked like this:

Anyway, I asked my MIL what color I should paint it and she said green was her favorite color but she didn't care about which shade of green it was. So after thinking about it I bought a few cans of spray paint (I love spray paint!) and the table underwent a transformation:
Isn't it amazing what spray paint and new hardware can do?! BUT if you know me you know that I wasn't content with only painting it. Oh, no. I then proceeded to do this:
I transferred the image of a pair of scissors to the top, using an image from The Graphics Fairy. I know what you're thinking. A pair of scissors? Yes. You see, my MIL is a quilter. She's very good at it. She has won ribbons and I think she's the president of a quilter's guild. So I thought it would be cool to incorporate something about quilting into it. I couldn't find a quilt so I chose these scissors. I had never transferred an image before and so it's not as large as I wanted it to be. It was a lot more difficult to do than I had anticipated and I'm not sure I'll do it again. Oh, well. I also lined the drawer with some scrapbook paper I found at Hobby Lobby. I tried to find paper that resembled a quilt and this is what I found:
The final step was a light distressing and glazing. This itty bitty table was a lot harder to redo than I thought it was going to be but I really like how it turned out. Thanks for stopping by!

Linking to Treasure Hunt Thursday over at From My Front Porch To Yours.

Monday, January 16, 2012

My favorite vignette

Good evening, everyone! I hope your weekend was lovely and restful. My son was out of school today for MLK, Jr.'s birthday and I am so ready for him to go back tomorrow. I love him but. . .:) Anyway, on to today's post.

I'd like to share with you one of my favorite vignettes in my home. I'm not that great at creating vignettes. I agonize over what to put with what and I always second guess myself. But this is one of my favorites (mainly because it shows one of my favorite photos of my son when he was little).



This lamp was a Kirkland's find a few years ago. I got it and its twin on clearance. I love its curvy lines.













This candle and the silver candleholder are from Hobby Lobby, one of my very favorite places in the world. I honestly think I could live there. Just give me a little cot in the back and I'd be a happy camper!


I found this little bowl at Michael's a couple of years ago, also on clearance. You're not going to believe what I paid for it--79 cents. Yes, you read that correctly. A whopping 79 cents. I ended up getting three of them! I bought some white glass to put in it and nestled in the glass is a tealight. It's so pretty lit up at night.

Well, that's it for today. I hope all of you have a wonderful evening. Thanks for stopping by!


Linking up to Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Chair Re-do


I'd like to show you a chair that I made over a few months ago. I don't have a before picture so I'll just tell you what it looked like. And I apologize for the poor quality of the photos. It was a standard dining room chair--cherry finish, ivory seat fabric. I'm sure you've seen a million just like it. Anyway, I bought it on clearance at a nice furniture store years ago. It had a few scratches on it which is why it had been marked down. But do I care about a few minor scratches? Nope. Don't we all have a few minor imperfections?! Anyway, I used it as a vanity chair. Well, I intended to. I never actually used it. It was kind of just there.

So last fall, I took some ivory spray paint and went to town. After several coats, it was finally ready for distressing and glazing. I lightly sanded the edges and corners, especially on the legs which typically get the most wear and tear. Then I mixed some brown craft paint with a glazing medium and worked it into every little nook and cranny. There were a gazillion of 'em, I tell ya! I thought I'd never finish. Then the poor thing got waxed. Not that kind of waxed. Buffed with furniture wax. Then--are you still with me?--came reupolstering the seat. I had never reupholstered anything before. It took me, my husband and my new bff, the staple gun, to do it. I used fabric from a curtain panel that never got hung up, a pretty green and brown toile.
Then it was finally FINISHED! And I'm so pleased with how it turned out. Quite proud of myself, actually. It's ok. You can pat me on the back. I don't mind:)

Linking to Tuesday's Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia (There's a button on my sidebar:))


Saturday, January 14, 2012

Very First Blog!

Hi there! Can you believe this is my very first blog, ever?! I know, right? What rock have I been under?? Anyway, I'm glad you're here!

Treva