Loving Black & Tan!

I've always heard people talk about drinking a "Black and Tan" and was never interested in trying one.  But I saw a buffet painted using black on a portion of the piece and the rest left the natural wood.  I loved it!  And I just happened to have a piece that was a perfect candidate for a "Black and Tan" transformation.

This is a very old piece but has been well cared for throughout the years.  The finish inside the drawers was not done as well so I painted the drawer sides and inside the the black paint.   I posted it on my FaceBook page and got tons of comments.  I ended up selling it because I didn't really have a good place to put it when we moved.  I just wanted to share in the event that it gave someone else an idea.  

Wishing you all the best!
Lori

I bought this late 1800's dresser from a friend.  The veneer on the top was in terrible shape and he had tried to take it off.  It was a mess but I finally managed to get it off and then patched the rough spots in the dressers top. 

DRESSER BEFORE

I found information on creating a crackle finish with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  Basically, you put put the paint on a little thick and then immediately heat it up with a hairdryer. The hot air dries it quickly and it cracks in a very natural and random pattern.  You have to work in small sections,

I tried a variety of knobs but decided to use the original knobs.

For fun, I painted the drawer sides with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint "Florence" and then used Modge Podge to line each drawer with pieces from "The Ladies Floral Cabinet" magazine dated 1876.  I found a large stack of these in Vermont and they are so much fun to read!

DRESSER - AFTER

 Here's the final product!  It sold quickly and I hope the buyers enjoy it.  It was a fun piece to work on.

Thanks for stopping by!
Lori

August Projects

Continuing with my six month catch up.  

Here are the projects from August!

BEFORE.... This is a 1930's vanity that was in terrible shape.  It's the first piece of furniture that I had to strip before I could paint.

AFTER - This piece went to Then & Again Home Marketplace and is sold.

BEFORE - This Ethan Allen Piece was a thrift store find. 

AFTER - I've stored the hutch.  I like using just the base right now. This was a keeper.

BEFORE

AFTER - ASCP Old Ochre with a French Linen Wash.  This piece was painted for  Metal  & Petals in Hendersonville, TN.

BEFORE A great Lane Cedar Chest found at Goodwill.  It was a little pricey but I was in on a 20% off day so it was reasonable.

AFTER I debated painting the hardware.  This piece is sold.

Occassionally I pull out the small brushes!  This was an old flatware box that I  hand painted.   It was a gift to a family member.

This set was a done on a whim.  A friend had a can of ASCP Old Violet  so I used that for the chairs and chargers and vase and put that with a drop leaf table I painted French Linen.  I made a runner out of the fabric that used for the chairs so everything is tied together.  

We meet my husband's brothers and families in Bryson City each fall for a Labor Day camping weekend.  I found this little table at a local thrift shop and just happened to have some paints with me.  (go figure...) 

This was the result.  

Catching up --- July projects

WOW... It was July since I last posted so I thought it would be a good idea to at least TRY to get some of the projects I've done on here so I can start 2013 fresh.  The picture may not be the best but I got so caught up in doing that I didn't document as well.  Nonetheless...I wanted to at least keep track and share with my blogger friends.  So... here we go!  

Let's start with JULY

I bought this 1930s kitchen table and chairs from a friend and painted them Annie Sloan's Old Ochre (my favorite ASCP "White")  Since this picture, I've switched out the fabric on the chairs to a buffalo check.

This set has an interesting story... The chairs were a Goodwill find at $6 each - handmade in Yugoslavia.  The table base is the remains of a $5 table.  I ripped the top off and painted the wooden base.  The top... that's my favorite... I had a thick sheet of table glass that I had been given.  It fit the table base perfectly.  I flipped it over and started painting the design you see.  Layer after layer (drying in between) until I had what you see here.

It was a fun project and one anyone could do.  Just pick the colors you like and go for it!

The ladies writing desk was a great find.  I simply painted with ASCP graphite.  It sold within an hour of being in the store.  :-)

I can't claim this one.  My son, Robert, found this piece at a garage sale and painted it himself.  Awesome job right?  

I had a mahogany dining room set with six chairs that I had bought for staging.  It was in rough shape so I decided to  split it up a bit.  

I got on an Annie Sloan "Emperor's Silk" kick.    This was an old oak chair I had.   Love the red!

My husband bought an oak bedroom set from the prior owner of our home.  I'm not an oak fan so it was fair game.  My son, Robert actually painted all of the pieces in the set.  I just supervised a bit.

Another piece from that set.

This is another piece from the oak set.  This one was painted ASCP French Linen.

We had fun doing this set.  ASCP Arles with a Zebra print.  

More Emperor's Silk!  

This is a piece I did for a my friend Karen who owns a great shop, Metal and Petals, in Hendersonville, TN .  Check our her FaceBook page and tell he I sent you!

Yet another piece of the oak bedroom set.  This one is painted Florence, a new ASCP color.  Robert decided to use the dark wax on this one.  A very popular piece!

Settee Sitting Pretty

I convinced my DH to stop by a thrift store while we were in Nashville a week or so ago.  I found this little settee and knew it had to go home with us!  It needed a little updating and I thought the pack was a little plain but it had the making of a wonderful piece!

Less than 12 hours later.... 

Ready to go to Then & Again Home Marketplace to find a new home!

I added the medallion to the back to dress it up a bit, painted it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint's Duck Egg, distressed it and recovered the seat with some cute fabric.  

What a fun piece to work on!  Now on to the next one!

Thanks for stopping by!

Lori

Linking to some of my favorite blogs!!

Savvy Southern Style

An impromptu painting class with a new friend!

One of the greatest benefits of my creative outlets would have to be all the great people I meet who have similar interest!  This weekend I enjoyed a great Saturday afternoon with my new friend, Shannon!  She had seen my work online and asked me to paint a couple pieces for her.  

Before and After 

She had also mentioned wanting to learn how to paint so when she dropped them off, I told her she was welcome to have a one-on-one class if she wanted to stay.  Her very sweet husband took the kids and kept them occupied for three hours while we played worked.  Now THAT, my friends, is the sign of a "keeper!"

She initially said she wanted it a solid yellow.  She had a super cute pillow with yellow, turquoise, pink, and green and wanted to match the yellow.  I had a turquoise primer so she decided to use that as a base coat and let a little show through.  We switched out the knobs for crystal knobs and painted the un-exposed parts of the drawer with the turquoise for a fun pop of color when you open it. It turned out very cute! 

She also had a bookcase.  It was stained but had a slightly rough finish.  That makes for a great base for painting and distressing but required a little sanding.  Not my favorite part of the process. (A reason I love Annie Sloan Chalk Paint!)

Before and After  Bookcase

We went with Sherwin Williams "Silvermist" for the bookcase.  It's one of my favorites!!!  A beautiful light blue gray with a touch of green.  She wanted a little white to show through so we sprayed the edges with a light coat of white primer and it worked perfectly!  We finished it off with and oil and beeswax finish.  Love it!  I hope Shannon enjoys it!

Thanks for stopping by!!
Lori

OId frames, old furniture, old lamps, paint and stencils = busy weekend!

When I'm stressed I start creating things.  Obviously it's been a stressful week!

This is a frame I found at Goodwill.  I painted it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and applied a dark wax finish.  I bought the handles at Lowe's for $2.50 and the fabric at Goodwill.  I stenciled the fabric chalk paint to match some other pieces.  

This is my favorite.  This was another Goodwill frame.  It was red and I painted it with Graphite chalk paint and distressed it slightly.  The handles cost less than $5.  The fabric is actually a napkin I had on hand.

I was on a roll!  I painted a lamp and lamp shade and stenciled it.  I also decided to make a vintage book bundle.  I simply walked through Goodwill's book section and looked for old yellowed paperback books with a tag with the half price color. 

And continuing the theme... I found this striped fabric at Goodwill.  I really like it on these pieces. 

I found this coffee table at a thrift store for $12.  

I painted it, distressed the finish a bit and added the stencils and finished it with an oil finish.

Another frame tray.  I didn't change the frame at all.  I simply added fabric behind the glass, added handles and added a back to support it.  Of course, I added the little rubber bumpers to protect furniture.

This is a ceramic plaque I found at Goodwill.  I tried chalk paint on it. It came out pretty well.

So that was last weekend's accomplishments.  It's Friday night at 7:20 and I've already got my bedroom paint trim cut in.  Tomorrow, we roll!  Can't wait to see the end result!!!   I'll share!

Thanks for stopping by!

Lori

I can TUFT!!!! Ugly stool becomes a charmer!

SOOO excited!  I just finished my first tufting project.  Isn't it cute???

Check out the before !  Can we all agree that this was an ugly little stool??  And it was a dirty little thing too!

 Check out the AFTER version.  Love this little thing!  And you can lift up the cushioned seat for a little storage.

This picture was made in my driveway just before I loaded it up to go to Then & Again Home Marketplace.  It will find a good home there!  Bye bye little bench!  

Thanks for stopping by.  I've got lots going on and will try to share when I have a chance.  Stay tuned for photos from an upcoming class I'm teaching... The ugly frame challenge.  Such cute ideas for those ugly frames we have laying around or find a thrift stores and other places.

I'm linking to:

Open House Party at No Minimalist Here
Tuesday's Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
SYS Party and Somewhat Simple
Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Creek Cottage

2012 is going to be a great year!  To God be the glory!

Hugs to all!

Lori

Finally... the monster table is complete...

Maybe I shouldn't say "monster" in a title this close to Halloween.  Perhaps "monsterous" would be a better choice.  This thing was a real booger to get done.  I found it at the Habitat ReStore.  I had been needing dining tables and chairs for staging and this set was a more modern set than the others I have. Here's what it looked like before...

The beast!  You can see the chairs in the background.  They had a tan, dirty upholstery.  Pretty blah.

Great detail!  Simple and bold.

The finish was much rougher than I had thought.  I got a workout sanding it!

 And now.... the big reveal....

I really like this graphic fabric.  It goes very well with the detail on the table.

Well that is about it.  After hour months we'll finally have this piece out of the garage.  A good thing since frost will be on the pumpkins soon!  And I can pull my car in the garage!!



Don't you just love fall?  Crackling fires, hot cider,  crisp fall air....

Enjoy my blogland friends!

Lori