I’m branching out

It’s been a while since my last post.  Whew! That stencil project and giveaway really wore me out!  Not really…. I’ve been really busy with my furniture business.  You know- Seek, Find, Repair, Paint, and Sell.  I’m still amazed at how much work it is to be a furniture painter.  Yet, I absolutely LOVE it- despite the ups and downs!

One of the things I have been working on is teaming up with a couple of great gals who have just opened their own furniture and home décor shop in the nearby town of Statesboro, GA.  I’ve known these ladies for some time and have always admired their talent and work ethic.  When I found out that they were opening a shop of their own, I was immediately drawn to it.  The shop is named Nostalgia, and the owners are Debbie from the very popular , creative blog Refresh Restyle and Jamie the furniture magician from the wonderful blog Southern Revivals.  I know!  Loads and loads of talent! 
And if that wasn’t enough, my friend Debbie from The Smart Set agreed to partner with me in my booth in their shop.  We are gonna be a great team!



Nostalgia has only been open for one month, and already they have been very successful.  Not only are they a painted furniture and home décor shop, but they are also retailers for Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint and Maison Blanche –La Craie Furniture paints.  They also teach painting classing using these paints.  But I think the thing that has impressed and touched me the most is their commitment to the local community.  In one short month, they have supported and promoted the local farmers market; a community recycling program; a nearby restaurant featuring local musicians; neighboring shops; and GA Southern University, which is a few short miles away.  GA Southern just happens to be my alma mater :)  Most recently Jamie built a beautiful farm table and it’s being raffled off at the store with all of the proceeds going to the Statesboro food bank.   Whew!  All that and they have a beautiful, welcoming shop to enjoy.


I am thrilled to be a part of their team, and I am excited to see what Debbie (The Smart Set) and I can add to this already charming shop.

So far, I’ve added these pieces.  Photos thanks to Debbie at Refresh Restyle.  I only had my phone camera on the day of delivery.  Before and afters to come on these 2 pieces.

I still have my furniture and home decor proudly displayed in my booths at Two Women and a Warehouse in Savannah.  I'll be in both places now.  Sharing the love....

More to come.  You’d better believe it!

  

Stenciled and Painted Armoire Makeover and a Cutting Edge Stencil Giveaway for You!

 

I am so excited to show you this makeover that I created using a tired and dated armoire that has been hanging out in my stash and my brand spanking new Cutting Edge Stencil!  When Cutting Edge Stencil gave me a chance to pick any stencil I wanted from their huge selection of stencils, I must say… I took a few DAYS!  But I finally decided on the Fleur Craft Stencil by Kathy Peterson. 

Okay, on to the before…

Here is a nice but outdated small armoire that is looking for some pizzazz.  I’d been saving it to make over for my daughter’s room for quite a while.   I custom mixed some chalk paint to get the perfect light aqua paint color for my stenciling.  Turns out, I actually made what looks like Annie Sloan’s Provence without realizing it.    I don’t own that color, so now I know how to make it :)  I must be a genius!

I took the cabinet doors off to lay them flat and so that I could measure the stencil placement.  The Cutting Edge Stencil and the brushes that came with it were very easy to work with.  I have stenciled before, so I felt sure I knew what to do, but I went to their website and watched a couple of the how-to videos just in case.  Their projects are so inspiring!

I first painted my entire armoire with Annie Sloan’s Old White.  Then I took the doors off and measured and taped the stencil on with blue painters tape.  I used my custom colored chalk paint to stencil, and it went great!  Chalk paint is very forgiving.  If I found I was too heavy handed, I was able to wipe off the excess very easily.  I didn’t worry too much about imperfections either, because I knew that I would be sanding down my stenciled area after I finished. 


Once I finished the doors and reattached them to the armoire, I stood back and thought about it… It needed just a little something else…

                                                                      (Just a little too plain)


 So I took out the middle drawer and turned my stencil design sideways. I stenciled just one design around each glass drawer pull. 

Perfect! It ties the whole piece together without being overdone.

After my stenciling dried, I lightly sanded my design with 220 grit sandpaper to give it a slightly worn and not-so-crisp look. I then sanded the edges of the armoire around the doors, drawers, and edges – just because I like that look. I then sealed it all with a coat of Annie Sloan’s clear wax.


At first when I was stenciling the doors, I showed my 7 year old daughter and said that I was doing this for her.  She said “Umm.. I wanted lavender” and walked away.  Ummm… mom’s not into lavender, and there is not one lavender thing in her room.  Girls!  So, I thought I ‘d be selling this piece in my booth.  But after I got the shiny new glass knobs on and the piece put together, she saw it and said “can I have it; can I have it?”.  Ahhh.. much better.  It will go into her room and hold all of her American Girl dolls and their clothes and accessories.  Now I get to vacuum the floor, and she gets a special new piece painted just for her and the dolls.  Win.  Win.

Thanks Cutting Edge Stencils!

So, do you have a tired piece of furniture that needs some reviving?  How about some curtains that need color?  Would an accent wall make a huge difference in your room?  Or a rug in need of a makeover?  Plain pillows need pizzazz?  There are so many projects to be done with stencils.  And now you have a chance to win the stencil of your choice.  You can pick any stencil worth up to $75 from the Cutting Edge Stencils website if you are the winner of my giveaway.  



And it gets even better!  I am one of 7 blogs doing 7 Cutting Edge Giveaways in 7 days.  Yes, you can enter all 7!  Please stop by the other 6 blogs listed below for more chances to win.  ~LUCKY NUMBER 7!~

Good Luck!

  

Use this easy Rafflecopter form to enter to win:

**Our first winner never responded, so a new winner was chosen.  Congrats to Jennifer L. M.**

a Rafflecopter giveaway =



Linking up to these great parties:

Inspiration Gallery Link Party at Crafty, Scrappy, Happy,
Knock our socks off party at Mom 4 Real

In search of Annie Sloan paint

This weekend was St Patrick’s Day.  Savannah has one of the biggest St Patrick’s Day parades in the country.  With the parade comes thousands of tourists.  It’s fun and festive, but it’s very very busy.

image via Savannah Riverfront on FB


So our family decided to take a trip out of town to Charlotte, NC.  We took the kids to the U.S. National Whitewater Center and the Discovery Place Science Museum.   We all had a blast!  As with every trip we take out of town, I quickly googled Annie Sloan stockists in the Charlotte area.  Fortunately I found Melinda Shrom from Artisan by Design.  I visited her at the Blacklion location.  First let me say, I LOVED that store!  It was like a giant Hobby Lobby, Garden Ridge, Homegoods, Thrift market, hip antique store all rolled into one!  So much fun!

Melinda was great!  I had called ahead and my paint was already put aside for me on the “hold table”.  I went to her booth, and she was eager to meet me.  Lil’ ole me?  Yes! We had some great discussion about paint colors and textures and how much we both LOVE Annie Sloan Chalk paint!  I watched and listened as one of her repeat customers came in and discussed her wall that she had painted in Arles and asked Melinda’s opinion on what color paint and wax to add for more depth.  Melinda is a real pro, and gave the lady several options, but not so many that she was overwhelmed.  In the end, she even asked my opinion as the tie breaker :)  I was honored.  We all agreed and the customer practically skipped away happy!  Melinda told me about the awesome and innovative paint classes that she holds at the Blacklion, and then she showed me the paint studio in the back.  Boy, do I wish I could take one of her classes.  If only I lived closer…


Here is a picture of the paint swatches in her paint booth.  Very helpful when you see the paint out of the can and side by side on a board.  Cute design too! ( sorry for the cell phone picture blur)

Annie Sloan color board by Artisan by Design



And here is the paint color wall in the studio where the paint classes are held.  LOVE this idea!  Look at all of those color variations from each color of paint!  So versatile!

Annie Sloan color wall  by Artisan by Design



I had an incredible experience with Melinda, and my love for Annie Sloan Chalk paint has been ignited all the more.  Can’t wait to get started on my next piece using my very favorite paint!

This is what I brought home with me, and this dresser drawer and its friends are next for the Annie Sloan treatment…

Now, I said this store was incredible.  So here are a few pictures of the treasures I would have liked to take home.

This one greeted me right at the front door!  And it had a matching “friend” too :)  I’m digging that fabric and those curvy lines!

And Hippity Hoppity Easter is definitely on its way at this store!  I saw moss covered bunnies, Burlap bunnies and carrots.  Bunnies with wheelbarrows. Crackle finished ceramic bunnies.  Furry yellow chicks, and every other kind of fabulous Easter décor I could have possibly imagined and drooled over…

Easter Display at Blacklion


Okay, I’m on board with most of America in my love for burlap!  So when I happened up on this booth which I nicknamed “Burlap Paradise”, I knew I had to buy this great ruffled burlap table runner!  See the one in the top of the photo?  It is mine.  End of discussion….

I’m kind of on an animal and bird kick right now.  These peacock pictures were amazing in person.  But see those yellow tags?  Someone else loved them too…

How about this wonderful horse painting.  Swoon…  Loved it!

And lastly I loved this rustic farmhouse looking booth with these awesome letters.

Thank you for taking this virtual shopping trip with me.  I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful store and my visit with Melinda.  I will be back as soon as I can find a reason to go to Charlotte, NC again.


Hope you had a great weekend too!


  
Linking up to these great parties: 

Spring Green Spray Painted Rattan Head Boards

Yes!  I said SPRAY PAINTED!  Normally, my rule of thumb is that I don’t like to spray paint anything except wicker or metal.  But I found these wonderful rattan twin headboards at a local thrift store and knew they needed some fresh color for Spring.










There are so many nooks and crannies in these headboards, that I just couldn’t imagine spending a ton of time painting these with a brush.  Plus, I wanted them a little *shiny*.  So, I went with my go-to spray paint Rustoleum x2.  I used “Leafy Green” for a fresh Spring look.  Once they were dry, I sealed them with a spray on clear coat for extra durability.  





I think these headboards are sooo much happier now!  Here’s hoping they find their way to a beach house nearby soon….



Happy Spring…
  

Linking up to these great parties:
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm, 
Knock our Socks off Party at Mom4Real

Grass Green Table with Crackle Finish

Hi everyone.  Sorry to have been MIA.  Christmas was wonderful, but then came sick kiddos and tax season.  So, I haven’t had a chance to blog in a bit.  I’ve been poking around blog land checking some of your projects out and drooling… And I’ve done a few of my own.  

Since Emerald Green has been named the Pantone color of the year for 2013, I thought I’d start painting a little more green.
 

Now, this isn’t exactly Emerald.  It’s what I’ll call a “grass green”. But Spring is on it’s way, and from the color palettes I’ve seen, all greens are game in this Pantone color of the year phenomenon.

There is quite a story to this little curvy end table.  I’ll try to make it short and sweet, but I want to tell you about the troubles and triumphs in case you ever encounter such things when buying thrift store items.

I don’t have a picture of this cute little table before I started working on it.  I had a good bit of scuffing and a few knicks on the top and a pretty deep scratch on the top left corner.  So I sanded and sanded until I felt I shouldn’t sand anymore.  I can’t tell you how I knew when to stop.  I just knew.  That’s just one of those things you have to do by trial and error.  This piece had some type of inlaid design on top, so I wasn’t 100% sure what was underneath.  Then I filled any scratches or gaps with wood filler and let it dry.

After the wood filler dried.  I lightly sanded that part with 220 sandpaper to make it smooth to the touch.  It felt totally smooth.  So, I took my homemade “grass green” chalk paint and went to town painting this little beauty.


As it dried, I saw this:

                                                                      (sorry for the glare- cell phone picture)



Ugghh… the green was so pretty, but the scratch was so obvious!  It reminded me of that L- shaped scratch on Mrs. Leefolt’s dining room table in “The Help”.  It IS one of my favorite books/movies ever!  I even wrote a post about it – remember?  Well, I didn’t want to think of Mrs. Leefolt when I looked at my beautiful table! 

So, I wracked my brain for a solution.  And Tip Junkie came to the rescue.  I used this tutorial featured on Tip Junkie to create a crackle finish using Elmer's glue. 

I bravely brushed on a coat of watered down Elmer's School glue over my freshly painted grass green table top.  It was SCARY!  

 

While the glue was still tacky, I painted another coat of my grass green homemade chalk paint over it.  Again, scary.



But after it dried, it was a wonderful thing!  It hid Mrs. Leefolt’s scratch and those few knicks perfectly!

  

I left the table overnight to be sure everything was totally dry.  I then sanded just the edges of the table and the base, drawers, and legs as usual.  I waxed them with Annie Sloan's clear wax to seal the finish.


It turned out beautiful, and no one had to know about the scratch.  Hopefully, they’ll just think I’m uber-creative. Ha!

  

Sometimes the greatest projects come from a little trial and error!
 


Linking up at these fabulous parties:
Inspiration Gallery Link Party, Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seed, 
Flaunt it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring   Weekend Bloggy Reading Linkup
 

Christmas Ladder Gift Wrap Station

I’ve gathered up all of my supplies and I’m ready to wrap up the Christmas gifts!  Ummm… I guess I’d better get online and start ordering some things quick : )

It is gonna be great having my supplies all in one place for a change.  Plus, this is cute and looks like a Christmas tree.  Bonus!  Wrapping décor!

It started out with an idea to participate in Debbiedoos Holiday Knock off party.  I just knew I had something lying around from one of my thrifting trips that I could incorporate.  And I found just the thing tucked away in my garage- umm staging area…

A crusty rusty old ladder with plenty of patina.  Just the way I like it!





I wiped the ladder down and loaded it with rolls of wrapping paper; stacks of tissue paper; gift boxes; rolls of ribbon; gift bags; scissors, tape; and ink pens.  What else could I possibly need?  Besides the aforementioned gifts and a couple of helpful elves?

Here’s a close-up of my gift wrap station, just so you won’t miss a thing.  I kind of love it!




I was inspired by this photo in Southern Lady’s November/December 2012 issue. 

                                   Magazine

                 

                                   My Version

 
 
I didn’t buy anything for this challenge.  I already had all of the Christmas wrapping supplies and the wonderful thrifted ladder.  I used a drop cloth (I always have one on hand) for my tree skirt.  And I had the two mini trees on the sides from last year.  The green one in the peanut sack was a gift from my mother in law, and I made the burlap and sweater ruffled tree in this post.   So, I will use up or reuse everything here.  Fun and frugal.


Merry Christmas all.  


May your packages be beautifully wrapped!



 


Linking up to these great parties:

Debbiedoos 2012 Holiday Knock off Decor party, Sundae Scoop link party, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm, Wow us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style, Better Late than Never Christmas Inspiration Blog Hop, Christmas Junk Decor Party at Funky Junk, Happy Hour Link Party at Crafty Scrappy Happy, Whipperberry Friday Flair

5 Simple Must Have items for painting furniture

This post came about in a funny way.  After losing the same items over and over in my garage, I began to think that I am unorganized and beyond hope.  I decided to solve this little problem by making sure that I had at least 2 of my “necessary” items on hand, so that when I really needed them, I could put my hands on at least one.  Yes, I know “everything in its proper place…”.  But, this works for me –okay?  


So what are these items that I am constantly using and always losing?  They are so basic, it’s almost silly to post about them,  But, I’ll bet there’s at least one person out there like me who needs to go ahead and buy 2 just in case one is ummm…misplaced :)

For painting furniture, these are my go-to items:


1- Purdy Cub paintbrush

Yes, there are tons of other paintbrushes out there, but for me and my small hands, the cub is my BFF.  And if you take good care of it, it will last for a long, long time.

image via


2-  Plastic Scraper

This simple and inexpensive tool comes in various widths.  Buy several; they are cheap.  They are great for scraping off excess paint after sanding and for getting the goo off left over from labels and stickers.

image via



3- Paper plates

Again simple and inexpensive.  I almost never use the paint trays that they sell at the home improvement stores, unless I’m using a roller.  And that’s really ,really rare.  So a good ole paper plate does the trick for mixing colors, thinning paint, and providing a disposable palette.

image via



4- Drop cloth

Yes, you can use old sheets, towels, blankets, etc. to paint on.  I have done that and still do sometimes.  But in my experience, nothing beats the drop cloth!  The seams on a drop cloth are weighted just a bit.  So, as you are painting that end table, a big gust of wind doesn’t come along and blow your sheet over the freshly painted side of the table causing it to stick.  Don’t ask me how I know!  The big box stores charge quite a bit for drop cloths, but I’ll tell you a secret.  Shhh… If you are lucky enough to have a Big Lots in your town, buy your drop cloths there.  They are half the price.  And if you are really frugal like I am, you can cut off one whole panel or at least six inches or so along one side to get crafty with.  Make yourself a banner like this Candy Corn Banner. 

5-Baby wipes

What can I say, painting is messy, and I like to hide the evidence- quick!  No really, baby wipes are wonderful to have on hand, because they stay wet all the time and are portable and handy.  I buy the generic- whatever is on sale type.

image via


Okay, I’ll bet you are really ready to tackle a big ole painting project now huh?  Doubtful, but I did want to share a few of my favorite little things that keep me going as I paint all kinds of furniture with different kinds of paint.  There are so many other cool tools out there, but these top 5 are “must have’s “ for me to even get started.  Maybe I’ll talk about paint next, or how to choose a good piece of furniture…. keep reading along.


Share:  What are your favorite painting “tools” ?  You can leave a comment here on the blog, or on my Facebook page.  I’d love to know what you find invaluable.  A few of my Facebook friends have already chimed in.  Go check it out.  And “like” my page to keep updated.  You never know what I may come up with next….




 



Joining these great parties:
 Tutorials and Tips at Home stories A to Z
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