Monday, July 30, 2012

Cane Back Chairs: Before and After

A few weeks ago I brought two of these caned back chairs home from my local Habitat for Humanity store. They were free so it made them even more appealing! I only grabbed two of the four... I'm still kicking myself for not getting all of them. You live and you learn! I found this picture in House Beautiful and used as inspiration for the painted finish but with different colors.


Here are the chairs before.. I also picked up that shelf for a few dollars to keep some of my paint and fabric supplies on in my work space. (Can you see the cat in the window?) The cane was loose and had holes in some spots so I removed it.


I used milk paint in the color slate for the base color. It looks dark when you mix it, but it dries to a lighter shade of blue. Once the base coat dried I dry brushed the color buttermilk over that. I sanded and distressed the chairs,and used a clear and dark wax to add some depth to the finish. I upholstered the chairs in a cotton canvas and made slip covers for the seats. Here's the after...












I loved the way they turned out and probably would have kept them if I would of brought all four of the chairs home with me! Lesson learned.. they sold fast at the antique fair and I'm so happy they found a good home.

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Sunday, July 29, 2012

A bit of my day...

This morning my husband and I loaded up the truck and took some things to the monthly antique fair. Here was a quick picture I snapped of one of my displays before the doors opened. I'll be doing a full post about the chairs this week.


I hope you had a lovely weekend!

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Thursday, July 26, 2012

Antique Grey Dresser: Before & After


You never know where or when you will find something. On the 4th of July my husband and I were visiting with friends. My husband was hanging out with the guys and I was with the girls talking about antiques. We got on the topic of someone needing to get rid of some antique furniture that was in a barn down the road. A quick call and about a 2 minute drive we were there, and I came home with this...


Try not to look at the mess around the dresser. Were remodeling a hundred year old house so this "mud room" has become the holding area for all trash that's waiting to go out for pickup. Anyway, I started by patching her up in a few places with some wood filler and striped and sanded the top to refinish. I wanted to paint the dresser in a pale grey so I mixed 1/2 a cup of white milk paint with a table spoon of black milk paint. Here is what I got...

There are some blue undertones that came out and I just love that...

The top had the prettiest wood grain so I applied two coats of natural oil to bring out the details.



And lightly sanded all over.

 Finished it with a coat of clear wax and buffed it to a light sheen.



I kept the original hardware. I love the little urn and swag detail.

I love the way it turned out. This dresser is VERY heavy and a well made piece with dove tailing and tons of detail. I'm so glad I went to that barn and brought this old dresser back to life! You really never know what you will find!

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Thursday, July 19, 2012

I Won! I Won!

A few weeks ago I left a comment  for the first time on a blog for a give away and actually WON! I am a HUGE fan of Marian from the Miss Mustard Seed blog! I have followed her for some time and admired all of her work and creativity. She was hosting a give away for the Goose Creek Candle Co. and I thought "I might as well leave a comment, there are hundreds of entries I'll never win".. but I did! I just received my candle this morning and it smells amazing! The glass jar and lid are very pretty and look great with any decor..The customer service was fantastic and very friendly. I've linked up Goose Creek and MMS for you to check out if you haven't already!





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Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Flea Market Treasures...

Every Monday my mom and I go to a local flea market. I usually come home with a few things, but I found some really neat things this week! I also bought two potted geraniums, and a fern I want to plant in a old ironstone dish.



Some of my finds... vintage books, vintage silhouette pictures, folding wooden chair...

I fell in LOVE with this box of vintage cashmere and silk baby socks! The bottom even says "Ralph's baby socks" I'm not sure what to do with them but it was too cute to pass up.

I found this lovely book... It was a diary written over the span of a year about animals, plants, and other things the woman found in nature around her home.

She painted all the pictures in water color..



I love this one...



I also found this leather, aluminum, and brass flower frog (I think). I love the color, patina, and the fact I've never seen one like this before.

So pretty.

What are some of your favorite finds/treasures? I'd love to hear about them!

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Hand Carved French Chair: Before & After

Last fall I stopped at a garage sale and found this beautiful carved french chair. The poor thing was completely  naked and had NEVER been upholstered before! Witch was great because I hate removing staples.. Oh the joys of upholstery! The chair sat around until a few months ago when I finally got around to upholstering it.


I upholstered the chair in a cream linen, trimmed it out in a cotton rope, and double piping.



Here is a before picture after I started putting on the webbing.

The detail is just beautiful...





Tuesday, July 3, 2012

My first post!

Hello! This is my first post on this blog and I'm very excited about it. I started this blog to document my diy projects, a 100 year old house remodel, and every day thoughts. I hope you enjoy! More to come soon.. new followers, comments and suggestions welcome!