Open House this Sunday!

You are invited to the grand opening and holiday open house at Kelly & Company Antiques in Fayetteville! My booth is located at this shop, and we'd love for you to come and browse the booths of over 30 vendors! The open house is this Sunday, November 4th from 1-5pm. There will be door prizes and light refreshments. I have large pieces of furniture marked down, as well as small items to purchase. Hope to see you there!

China Cabinet Makeover

This past week I worked on a china cabinet makeover for a customer. In the words of the customer, the china cabinet looked like "an old man's gun cabinet." I'm not sure what qualifies as an old man's gun cabinet, but the cabinet was just boring and outdated. It needed a makeover!

The first challenge was choosing a paint color. I've started making my own chalk paint, and have had great success! Plus, it's budget friendly and the color possibilities are endless! I can't bring myself to buy ASCP anymore! {I will say, ASCP is super great to work with...if you want one of the limited colors, and you don't mind paying the price!} We were looking for something that was Old White looking, but not as bright and alittle warmer.

{One coat vs. two coats}

The customer wanted AS's Old Ochre, but gave me the freedom to color match if I wanted to. So, I did a 30 second "AS Old Ochre color match" search and found a list of Behr and Sherwin Williams matches for every AS color! I went to Home Depot first, but knew just from the name of the paint (Pecan Sandie 700C-3) that I wasn't going to like it. Pecan Sandie was too pink! So off to Sherwin Williams I went to see what Kilim Beige (SW 6106) looked like. First of all, when Pecan Sandie and Kilim Beige were compared, they were not at all the same color! But, Kilim Beige was perfect! I got a sample quart mixed up ($6.38!!!) and got to work mixing up my own chalk paint!

I used black spray paint to paint everywhere that I knew I'd end up distressing. Then the painting began. Painting was going well until I had been working for days ("banker hours" as my mom said) and hadn't even touched the top shelf piece, which I knew was going to be a BEAST! Shelves are very time consuming--there are so many surfaces...tops, bottoms, inside sides, outside sides, back.

{Some of the distressing...love!}

I did two coats of Kilim Beige, distressing, a coat of finishing paste with dark wax (really working the dark wax) and then two more coats of finishing paste. Then, my arms got a work out with all of the buffing!

I was trying to decide what to do with the inside of the drawers and bottom cabinet. I painted (but didn't use dark wax) the inside of the bottom cabinet, but didn't paint the bottom surface because it was just a cheap piece of wood that I knew wouldn't look the same painted. I'm still working my way through an old Spanish/English dictionary that's about 30 years old, so that's what got Mod Podged down. I love it!

 The top cabinet doors are really cool...I really love the shapes, and the distressing makes it super good...so it's kind of a bummer that they won't be used. BUT, they would make cool frames or even spray the glass with chalkboard paint for a unique shaped chalkboard!

And the finished product....not your Grandpa's gun cabinet! It wasn't the best lighting because it was dark by the time it got moved inside. But, I'll make sure to post a photo once those shelves are accessorized and full of color!

Antique Dining Table & Chairs

When it came to my first attempt at a dining set...I jumped in with both feet! I found a great antique dining table (1920's-30's) with three leaves and six chairs at a local thrift store. The clerk couldn't believe that someone would have a audacity to try to paint one of the chairs with brown paint! I had to confess that I was going to paint it...but with a pretty color, and I promised to do a much better job!

This thing really was a triple whammy--paint, refinishing and reupholstery! The wood was beautiful, but it had seen much better days. I wanted to keep the wood table top and I was envisioning a young family sitting around it...banging silverware and sippy cups. I sanded, stained (ebony) and applied polyurethane to give the top a durable finish for those sippy cups.

The chairs were in rough shape, especially the cushions! The leather was scratched, ripped and brittle. And, the cushion was non-existant. Once I began to take the chairs apart, I caught a glimpse of the age of the set...the cushions were made from horse(?) hair! It was pretty gross! I also found a stamp from a railroad line on the bottom of one of the chairs. I couldn't make out the date, but the chairs had traveled from Ohio to Tennessee. I thought it was pretty cool!

I knew as soon as I bought the table and chairs what fabric I wanted to use (amazing upholstery fabric I had picked up on clearance at Ballard Designs about a year prior). I used ASCP (Duck Egg Blue...love love love!) on the chairs, and did the table base with Old White. I used dark wax to tie into the stain color and applied clear wax to finish everything.

Again, this dining table and chairs set is totally up my alley! I love the colors, the quirkiness, the dressy but casual...all of it! Thankfully, I found someone else who loved everything about it and purchased it to go in the dining room of their first home! It was also a special sell for me because it was the first time a total stranger bought one of my creations!

Antique China Cabinet Makeover

I know that I said the dictionary dresser was my most favorite piece...but that happened before the antique china cabinet makeover. The china cabinet was the third piece that I did a chalk paint makeover on. This piece makes me SO happy!

If you were to question my style, take one look at this piece! Sure, I like the simple, shabby-chic, goes-with-just-about-anything look...but I LOVE color! I had to do a red piece, and this china cabinet won.

I found her at a local thrift store, but she was in desperate need of some lovin'. I did a 'big purchase' (at the time) and scored the china cabinet, plus an antique dining table with six chairs all in one swoop. The beautiful carving on the front was broken and falling apart, which made me sad. I thought the carving 'made' the cabinet. But then I had a brilliant idea--take it all off, put a lighter color inside and really let her serve her purpose...to display. As soon as the carving panel was gone, I knew this was going to be good!

Ok, so on to the paint. Some of you are probably looking at me like I'm crazy...and I might be. But, I cannot even tell you how many people have complimented this cabinet! I know the colors are a bold choice, and I also know that the [crazy] perfect buyer will come along! This was also an experiment with layering multiple colors of paint. I think the cabinet has 4 coats in all--white, yellow and two red. I love how the distressing turned out, and then some dark wax really gives it such a rich red color! (*I used ASCP's Emperor's Silk. The paint straight out of the can is ok...but dark wax on this color is an absolute must for me...every time!)

If I had my own house, this china cabinet would be a centerpiece! The best part is she's small--she can be a china cabinet, but she could also live in your living room, family room or hallway. It would perfectly hold books, travel souvenirs, trinkets, or your favorite vintage finds.

Height: 64 inches

Width: 39.5 inches

Depth: 13.5 inches

[She's a pretty little size!]

Price: SALE! $315 (orig. $349)--SOLD!

Bangkok Rust Hall Tree

Last week, a very good friend asked if I would makeover a hall tree for her. She's been wanting something in her entryway, and found two hall trees on Craigslist that she liked. The first hall tree was from Ethan Allen and the seller wanted $400. The second hall tree was about 15 years old and the seller wanted $99. Needless to say, she chose the $99 one!

The previous owner had painted the hall tree a gross brown--we were calling it poop brown. And, there were lots of drips, globs and it was just a bad paint job. After more investigating, we discovered that under the brown paint was white paint. My friend wanted the perfect red color--not bright red, with alittle orange, but not too much orange--so she decided on Bangkok Rust.

We agreed that the hall tree should be distressed, and wanted black to come through, so black spray paint went on all of the edges and other random places where I would end up distressing. The spray paint was brilliant because it dried in a few minutes, and it held up great with the distressing.

After the spray paint, I did two coats of Bangkok Rust and then distressed the piece. I made the Bangkok Rust (Lowe's Valspar Satin) more like chalk paint by adding a plaster of paris and water mixture to the paint. This allowed for less prepping and easy distressing. The paint goes on looking milky/dull, which lends to the piece looking aged.

I wanted to use dark wax, so I used one coat of clear and dark wax together. The BEAST on this thing was the top grain detail. The bottom one looked awesome, but I redid the top grain panel four times! I love how the grain details turned out in the end though! Finally, I put four coats of finishing paste wax on the entire piece, and two extra coats on the seat part since it will get some extra use!

The old hardware got a oil-brushed bronze spray paint update. And then she got moved inside to the entry way. She was adorned with a straw hat and scarf pretty quickly. 

The finished product! 

If you have any questions about custom painting or refinishing a piece of furniture, please contact me!

Antique Dictionary Dresser

Out of all of the furniture that I've painted, this next pieces is my absolute favorite!

A beautiful, antique, North Carolina-made dresser!

The dresser was my very first piece of furniture that I painted (besides that Mexican dresser in 9th grade!), and my first time using AS chalk paint. I used Old White, dark wax and clear wax. I learned a few lessons on my first ASCP expedition, which I'll share with you in another post.

 See that wimpy hardware!

I chose new hardware for the dresser because the original hardware was wimpy! The knobs didn't make a statement, and they were very small for the big, deep drawers. {*Getting new hardware can be a very inexpensive way to give a facelift to a piece of furniture!}There was also a small raised circle on the middle drawer, and I decided to add a wood ornament...which I LOVE!

After the dresser was finished, I thought it needed alittle something something done to the insides of the drawers. I put some polka-dot shelf paper in the drawers, but wasn't happy with the result. Then I decided to use the pages of an old dictionary (my dad's from college, I think?) to line the drawers. I brushed the drawers with Mod-Podge to glue the pages down, and then put three coats of Mod-Podge over everything to seal it well. This little surprise adds so much to an already beautiful dresser!

Length: 4 feet

Depth: 23 inches

Height: 35 inches

Price: $369

Antique Farm House Hutch Makeover

Once upon a time, there was a very sad looking hutch. She was dark, full of holes and hooks and just plain ugly. She was old and needed a new life. This is the only 'before picture' that I have of her. This was after I took out all the hooks (along fronts of shelves) and filled the holes. I felt like German beer steins, or breakable figurines, once covered these shelves. Gross!

I worked and filled and sanded and painted and stained and waxed...for days...but now this old lady has a brand spankin' new life! She looks pretty awesome for her age!

Shabby-chic, French-country, rustic, farmhouse...whatever you want to call it.

A new bead-board back was added. The top surface of the cabinet, as well as the inside of the cabinet, were refinished. I used Annie Sloan's Chateau Gray...but it actually looks more like a light sage green. I lightly distressed the piece and then used both dark and clear wax. I also chose to keep the original hardware.

At first, I felt like the hutch was 'too country', but it has grown on me! It is truly a show stopper-- a solid wood, great antique piece! If your space couldn't handle the whole hutch, you can take the shelf off and the bottom half would make an amazing sideboard, sofa table, or be a great addition to your entryway. 

This was my first attempt at a BIG piece. It was alot of work, but I think it was worth it! 

What do you think?

Measurements: 

Width- 4 feet

Depth- 18 inches

Height- 6 feet

Price: SOLD!

My Little Project

About a year ago, I started a new little project. I'm good at starting projects. I like to switch things up a bit. I also enjoy being creative, and painting is a great escape for me--I can put on some good music and paint for hours and be totally content.

I've been out-of-the-country for most of the past four years. Another little project...in Liberia, West Africa. But that's not what this blog is about...that's for my other blog!

Back to about a year ago.

I came home from Liberia, and my mom had bought a beautiful antique dresser that she wanted to put in the front entryway. The problem was the dresser needed alot of TLC. She started telling me about this new paint that had really been catching on, and she wanted to try it. So off we went to buy some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I'll admit, I held my breath at the price!

My mom had already primed the dresser (was unaware of the beauty of chalk paint...no prepping needed), so I don't even know what it looked like originally. By the time I got home, she had run out of steam and wanted me to finish the dresser. I spent my nights crammed into my sewing room with my music and a paint brush in my hand. Besides 'Mexican painting' my dresser in the 9th grade with craft paint (which I embarrassingly still use!), I had never painted furniture before. Once I finished the dresser and stepped back to admire my work...I LOVED it!

My mom started saying things about people painting with chalk paint, selling it and making money. Since I felt like a natural, I decided that painting, refinishing and selling furniture could be a way to make some money since I didn't have any other source of income. We had a few other rejected furniture pieces around the house, so I started to paint them. Then I started going to garage sales, estate sales and auctions.

I'll be honest, I've tried a few methods to sell my pieces, and I haven't been very happy with any of the outcomes. I just rented space in a local antique shop a month ago, so that's still a new experiment. It has ALL been a learning experience. I've decided what I really love about the process is seeing the potential in something that would be tossed to the curb. And the painting part is just a form of creative expression.

I want to use this blog as a place to show the before and after photos, and to perhaps sell a few pieces. I also want this to be a source of inspiration. I promise you...anyone can paint furniture! Most people are just too scared to. And, the good news is that if you mess up, you can always paint over it and start again!

So, this is the beginning of my little project...Restored to Beautiful!