Beach Cottage with a little Class

When I was so fortunate to accidentally come across our new shop for lease, the landlord had left a few pieces he no longer needed in his home.  On my first day of having a key I found a sofa table with Queen Anne legs, an antique farm house fireplace mantel and a curio cabinet with glass shelves.  I knew from the minute I laid eyes on the fireplace mantel that it would find a home in my kitchen someday, but as for the other 2 pieces, I have been contemplating for months of how to paint them.  They were not in need of paint, however the dark cherry stain wasn't doing it for me.  So this week I finally had a vision of giving the curio cabinet a fresh look.
Because it had such an ornate look, I used Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint ™ Versailles on the body. It needed 2 coats to cover the dark cherry stain.

After distressing around the edges and filigree,
the dark stain came through for a beautiful
time worn look.

 This color is so versatile.  By itself, it has a yellow-green tint, but for this piece I felt it needed more depth.  To achieve this,  I used Miss Mustard Seed's Antiquing Wax.  I am in love with this product!  It is not as dark as other dark waxes on the market so there is no need to mix with a clear wax or to put on a clear wax coat first.  You can simply go directly over whatever color you are using and it will instantly add years of use.  I especially made sure to push it into the ornate carved corner.  But before I did any waxing, I dry brushed  Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint Linen on the drawers and other trimmings.   When dry brushing, it's important not to have to much paint on your brush and to press lightly where you want a little highlighting.

Dry brushing with a light color is another way
of adding depth and dimension to your piece.

The inside consist of 2 glass shelves.  I wanted this to have a pop of color.  The cool fresh ocean's of California was my inspiration for this.  Living on the West Coast has left beautiful landscaped vision imprinted in my mind!  I chose to mix Annie Sloan's ™ Provence with a little Old White to achieve this color. It's just the right color to compliment the Versailles I think.

By adding white dish wear and and Mercury glass decor,
you add class and simplicity to your furnishings.

After replacing the original wooden knobs for antique glass knobs, I buffed the wax to a soft sheen and tada, a classy beach fresh curio cabinet that will look at home in any home decor style from beach cottage to french country.

Sorry, I forgot to take a before picture of the actual
cabinet, but this was pretty close to it.  

Sometimes it can take us longer than we wish to pick a color pallet for our furniture pieces, but with a little patience and inspirations from the things we love, they soon find their way into our hand and paint brushes.  Have a wonderful week everyone!

Mixing it up with Milk Paint

Thinking of a color between Miss Mustard Seed's Luckett's Green and Kitchen Scale. Can you guess what it is?! Well, it's a little bit blue teal and a little bit green and a whole lot of pretty!

What a difference a little Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint can make, huh?

After refinishing the top on this mid-century dresser, I couldn't decide on the bottom color.  I was back and forth between Miss Mustard Seed's Luckett's Green and Kitchen Scale.  So I did what we do at my home when we're out of this or that ingredient.   We mix what we do have and make something delicious!

This is not the actual dresser, but the night stand that went with.
Sorry, in all of the photos I take, this one had disappeared, but
you get the idea:)

After sanding the bottom part with a high grit sanding block, I wiped it down with TSP and then started the mixing of the colors.  In a cup, I added 3 large tbls of Kitchen Scale and 2 of the Luckett's.  The key to mixing the Milk Paint is to remember once you think it's mixed enough, mix it some more.  I found this out the hard way.  After I put on the first coat, I noticed the paint getting a little thick in the cup, so I added a bit of water and with my spoon I began to mix, but found that on the bottom of my cup was a bit of dry milk paint.  The color seemed to be mostly Luckett's, so I added more Kitchen Scale in hopes of evening it out.  Was I lucky in matching to the first coat, nah!  It was totally off, but I just went with it and made sure to cover the whole piece with at least a coat of this new color.

The result was this gorgeous blue-green that I'm sure I will probably not be able to replicate, but what makes this piece all the more unique.  When the whole piece was dry, I noticed it was chippy in a few areas, but for the most part was a solid finish.  I painted the drawer inserts in Linen and distressed the corners and edges.  Since there wasn't  much chipping, I seal with Hemp oil and tada, a tired old dresser transformed into a breath of fresh air!  Wouldn't this look lovely as a buffet or entry way table?

Now onto project #2. Remember last week when I was so excited about the French Grain Sack Settee going in the shop?  I just couldn't wait to see it together with the Queen Anne side tables and the coffee table I painted with the French typography.  Well, there was one more piece I wanted to add to this ensemble for a complete sitting room, this french upholstered arm chair.  Although the settee found a new home right away, I think this chair will still look beautiful with the Queen Anne side tables.

Before the ripping began....

 I found this chair in perfect condition at a resell shop, and although it was in great shape, it just wasn't speaking to me.  Yes, I probably could have stuck as is in the shop, but what fun is that?  I needed to add that special touch to it.  Do I just paint the frame and leave the silky pink upholstery on it?  Nope,  that would be way to easy. Of course I'm going to jump right in! Out came the staple remover, and the ripping began.

After I took off the back, I was a little hesitant to carry on,
after all I am not a professional upholsterer, but we
must always carry on.

As I took the old upholstery off,  I made sure to label each piece to use as a pattern for the new upholstery.  Next came the painting of the frame.  Since it was a black shiny finish, I chose to use Old White by Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint.  I knew I didn't want to distress through the Old White because I felt the black beneath would be to bold.  So I opted to use a mix of clear and dark waxes to manipulate the patina.

For the graphics on this chair, I again used my favorite graphic web site,
The Graphics Fairy.  I chose the French Grain Sack monogram.
I used the Citra-Solv transfer method, since it worked so
well on the other grain sacks graphics I used on the settee. 

I used the same linen like fabric on the chair that I used on the settee. It really gives a authentic grain sack look.  The back part of the chair was probably the hardest to do.  After a couple of hours of stapling and tugging with a dinosaur of a stapler, my carpal tunnel finally called it quits.  I threw my hand in the air and went straight to Home Depot in search of new "more powerful" stapler.  An hour later I was back at it.  This time with an air stapler that attached to our air compressor, much better.  I had the remaining pieces on in no time.  Sometimes, it just pays to buy the more powerful tool right away, even it it may cost a bit more.  It can get the job done faster and with out a throbbing hand.

I used a simply delicate white gimp for the trim.  It really defined the
chair and gave it a clean crisp look.

The finished product....may not be as perfect as
a professional upholsterer, but it won't
be as costly as a one either, my kind of chair!

This week was full of lots of new experiences for me and for my daughters who have now joined me at the shop during summer break.   I absolutely love having one or the other there with me. They are growing and learning more and more everyday about the joys of crafting and refurbishing.

  

Have a blessed week everyone, may all of your projects be inspiring not only to you, but to those around you.

Linking to: The Three Mango Seeds
and The Graphics Fairy

A very "Frenchy" week

I just love it when I save myself and my clients money.  If you love Pinterest as much as I do, you will find everything from gorgeous refurbished furniture and hand crafted decor, to food recipes and landscape ideas. One of the wonderful things about this site is that if you click on something you love, it will take you to the site that it came from and most times will give you a tutorial or information on how you can achieve the same thing.  As a mom of 5, I think this is just awesome!  Not only do I save a lot of money by making things for myself and my clients to cherish for years to come, but I also get a sense of accomplishment as I do it.  My children have seen me do this many times over whether it be making my own drapes out of discounted fabric and a simple flat bed sheet, or an area rug out of a canvas drop cloth.  I am their roll model right now. Things they see me do today I hope they will try tomorrow!

On the subject of being thrifty, lately I've been in a "French Mood".  I love their food, their music, and especially vintage textiles such as French Grain Sacks and French Typography.  

My most recent French Typography work using
a overhead projector,  steady hand, and a
gorgoues French graghic from my favorite graphic site,
The Graphics Fairy.
The bottom is painted in Miss Mustard Seed's French Enamel

Gorgeous Queen Anne Leg, my first
attempt of using the left over MMSMP Grain Sack and
clear wax over the French Enamel,
gave a soft pillowy effect.

What I don't particularly care for is the high price tag that ususally goes along with such beautiful decor.  One of the hot fads right now is upholstering furniture with the antique French Grain Sacks.  I myself, love to do this, however my budget doesn't allow for the "real" grain sack which come with a high price tag of $40 and up for one sack. You can find these grain sacks on Ebay or Etsy. I recently came across another opportunty  to use my faux grain sack upholstery on a settee purchased at an Estate Sale.  It is a early american style settee with worn out upolstery in a not-so-flattering maroon.

It was in perfect conditipn, just needed a
a little sprucing up!

My first thought again was to see if I could search the web hard enough, I might find a deal on a few French grain sacks to recover the settee. Yes, I could have used a good old American one which have much better price tag of around $20 or so, but as I mentioned earlier, I was in the mood for the French flair, and as usual, I do what I can with what I have. My favorite fabric to use is a linen like fabric called Osnaburg.  I bought the whole bolt this time because I knew I would use it for backs of pillows and other crafts.  As you can see in the picture, the settee consisted of 3 bottom and 3 top cushions.  I didn't feel nor did I have the time to make 6 separate box cushions, so I opted to make just one bottom box cushion. For the 3 top ones, I wanted to resembel the French Grain Sacks.

Transfering images onto fabric
is super fun and easy with using
the Citra Solv method.

My first Citra Solve transfer,
I'm hooked!

After transfering the images on the 3 top cushion fronts, I sewed them up into simple pillow like forms hand stitching the last side in a semi primative way to give it a authentic grain sack closure.  The bottom cushion was a bit more of a challenge as I have never made a box cushion cover before.  Again I hit the net, and found a tutorial on just how to do it.  I simple used the old covers as a pattern and in no time I had my bottom cushion.   The last step was to use my grain sack stencil, which I made a while back using a straight edge and a utility knife. I added the stripes on each top pillow and on the ends of the bottom cushion.

The French Grain Sack Settee #2! (see Settee #1here)
I painted the wood frame in
Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint
"Linen", distressed the edges used a
mix wax for aged lovliness.

Since the big Dining Room set found a new home this week, I worked extra late hours on a replacement.  I chose to do more of a French Cottage sitting room instead of another Dining Room set.  Along with the Queen Anne coffee table I painted in the French typography, I also added 2 end tables using the same MMSMP French Enamel and Grain Sack on the drawers with tops being refinished in a dark walnut.  

Queen Anne Side Table in
MMSMP French Enamel with the
drawer in Grain Sack. 

And that's how my very "frenchy" week went!  I got a lot done, and am very pleased with my thrifty efforts. This very fun, very gorgeous set can now be seen and purchased at Knott So Shabby! 

Have a blessed week everyone!

Dressing Up Wardrobes

As usual, we’ve been busy bees at Knott So Shabby this week.  As the custom work keeps us on our toes at our home work shop and some custom pieces I can do in the shop during business hours, it can be quite challenging to keep the shop’s floor full of goodies especially when a big piece or pieces sell and you need to fill that space FAST.  This week the grand Dining Room set sold, therefore leaving a big part of the room to fill.  We do have 2 other dining room sets we could be refurbishing to put in it’s spot, but I’m thinking we need to switch it up a bit.  More on the lines of living room or sitting room instead. For the past few weeks, I have been on the search for just that.  The new owners of the Dining Room set are picking up on Wednesday, so that gives me about a week to finish up on the French Cottage style pieces.  There will be a newly upholstered settee or sofa (it’s that big), a French style armchair newly upholstered to coordinate the settee, and a set of French side tables and a coffee table.  More about these coming soon!  Sorry if I tease:)

I have also been doing a few redos. Sometimes a piece just doesn’t fit the color chosen or the style.  Case in point 2 wardrobes.  You may have remembered seeing this wardrobe in the shop or on my For Sale Page painted in Annie Sloan’s Arles.

 I originally chose Arles (yellow) because I felt it would give it a French Country feel. Well, it sat and sat in the shop for a couple months.  Everyone seemed to like it and did compliment it, but that was just about the extent of it, no buyers.  After a couple months of looking at it, thinking why no one was buying it, I finally decided to give it a make over!  Firstly I thought about what room it would go in, most likely a bedroom that lacks space or closet.  Next, what color? I could go with a neutral like I have in the past such as the wardrobe in French Linen and Old Ochre or with the ornate wardrobe,  I used a custom mix of ASCP Louis Blue and Paris Gray, not so neutral, but gorgeous just the same.

For this wardrobe, I felt it needed more than the just neutral,  but maybe not quite as bold as the original choice Arles.
Something soft and pretty.  What is a girl’s favorite color?  That’s right, pink or my favorite shade Antoinette by Annie Sloan.  It’s a color that we have had a lot of luck selling in the shop.  I could definitely see this wardrobe sitting pretty in pink in a nursery or in any girl’s bedroom.  And so, the redo began and within a few hours, a completely different wardrobe emerged.  I used a mix of clear and dark wax to soften the pink and to give it more of a vintage feel.  I also added some pretty whimsies around the doors in Old White.  Not more that a few days of the transformation that this pretty wardrobe was sold!  And just as I'd thought for a little girls room, perfect.

Now on to makeover #2.  This was the huge wardrobe we scored at an estate sale a few months back.  My husband was in a basement looking at a few other pieces when a yellow tag caught his eye.  And there it stood before him, this massive wardrobe, consisting of a closet, 6 large drawers, and a cabinet.  It even had a bar that pulls out for hanging ties and a tray that also comes out for make-up or hair accessories perhaps.  It was so big nobody in his or her right mind was going to haul this big boy out of a basement.  Nobody but my big strong husband that is!  We just couldn’t pass this one up.  Yes, it was huge and heavy but in solid condition.  They just don’t make furniture like this anymore.  We hauled it out of that basement and into our workshop awaiting it’s turn for a makeover.

The Beast before!

The talk around our workshop amongst my husband, myself, and my friend Jen, was to re-purpose it into a kitchen pantry!  How cool would it look as a farmhouse styled pantry in maybe Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint Tricycle Red with chicken wire in the top cabinet insert and a chalkboard on the door to keep organized?  It would be perfect for a kitchen that needed more pantry space or a mudroom to be a stylish “catch all” for a busy family.

As it sat in the workshop a few weeks,  I would tell my customers about this grand wardrobe I had at home.  One day a customer was looking for such a large piece and hired us to customize it for her.  She envisioned it in more of a curvy feminine style with ornate woodcarvings and soft colors.   And so our dream of making it into a farmhouse pantry or storage was gone.  

After talking over what colors were in her bedroom, and also what we could do to “girl it up” a bit, we came to the decision to paint it in ASCP Old White and Duck Egg.  We added wood filigree pieces in places where the customer chose, and new glass pulls to replace the original wooden ones.  She also liked hearts and flowers and requested to have something on those lines painted on the door.  I had found an image of a floral wreath and added that to the door with a bit of the Duck Egg and some Antoinette.  Although this was not my style, it was of the customer and so it was finished. 

Sometimes things happen for a reason.  While we were working on the wardrobe, trying to turn this square duckling into something of swan if you will, the customer decided she was going a different direction in her bedroom style and didn’t think this wardrobe would fit that. 

And so,  just like that, we were left with our perfectly square rustic wardrobe dressed in drag, haha!  I know I’m horrible, but tis the truth.  With all of the work that went into this piece, I had to give it a chance “as is” to sell in the shop. As a week or 2 went by,  I would stare it daily wishing someone would just take it home so that I wouldn’t have to look at it and remind me of what could have been.  

Although I seriously thought I could “magically” turn this "rough around the edges wardrobe"  into a pretty swan, it just wasn’t meant to be.  BUT, one of the wonderful things I love about paint, you can ALWAYS change it and that’s just what I did! 

Although it's not exactly what we had in mind, by using chalkboard paint over the decorative door and using chalkboard stickers on the drawers, the piece is now perfect for a kitchen pantry, mudroom or of course a bedroom.  And who knows, if it doesn't find a home in a few weeks, I  just may have to bring out Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint Tricycle!

Pillows and signs and wreaths-oh my!

What a wonderfully busy week at Knott So Shabby!  Besides being chosen to sell Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint,( yay!),  I was a crafting, furniture refurbishing, decorating machine!  I really wanted to not only provide beautifully refurbished furniture for my customers, but to also offer other hand crafted decor in the shop.  Yes, it would be way easier for me to order from a wholesale company, things that were mass produced in a warehouse, but how unique is that?  I'm not saying that I make every thing in the shop, but proudly a majority of it.  So this week, I got out the glue gun and sewing machine and went crazy!

And here are the fruits of my labor......

These cool box signs were actually a custom job.  A customer had seen
something like this on Etsy and asked if we could
make them and we did!  My husband made the boxes which I then
stained in Dark Walnut to match the farm house table we had also done for this
customer.  It was then painted using ASCP Graphite for the backdrop and Old White for the letters.
We will definitely be making more of these for the shop, very cool and fun.

Made my first, of the ever so popular,  music-sheet wreaths!  These were really fun to make too, although by the hot glue burns on my fingers you wouldn't think so, ouch.

 Sewed up a few pillows; one is a throw pillow in my favorite blues and browns, the other I made using 2 tea towels. By sewing just the 3 sides and then leaving one side open with a flap and a button, allows easy cleaning. You can just throw it in the wash with your other towels, done.  I especially love the blue stripe running down each side. It reminds me of an old french grain sack!

Of course I couldn't go without painting a few pieces for the shop....

This stunning washstand is in such wonderful condition.  The wood was so nicely preserved,
that I decided to just give it a pop of color with MMSMP Kitchen Scale
and to leave the rest of the wood exposed, love it!

I used MMS Hemp Oil to protect the Milk Paint and to revitalize the wood.

Another fun desk with chalkboard paint
on the drawers and top. The body is in ASCP Coco

Another adorable pedestal table in Old Ochre
with a pretty bird graphic
compliments of The Graphic Fairy

Tried my hand at painting Annie Sloan Chalk Paint on fabric, and guess what?  It works!! You need to dampen the fabric with water a bit first, but it went on so smoothly.  After it dried, I took a bristle brush and brushed it lightly to soften. I couldn't decide if I wanted to completely reupholster this chair or not.  It's in such good condition and I really like the pretty blue, so I decided to leave it alone, and try using a grain bag log iron on image.  The problem was that the black of the iron on couldn't be seen over the blue, enter Old White chalk paint:)  The Old White provided a nice bright background for the logo.  I also painted the legs and arms in Old White to compliment the new look.  I thought it turned out really cool, and obviously was right because it sold after a day in the store!

Simple and clean chest in ASCP Old White-
this one was requested by a customer who would
like to have it for her lake cottage 

 And last, but certainly not least, my big announcement of Knott So Shabby carrying Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint!! Not only do I get to use this amazing paint product, but now I get to teach and show others just how awesome it really is!! Stay tuned for upcoming announcements on when classes will begin:)

 Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint proudly displayed
front and center of the shop! 

The first picture taken of me as a new retailer!  I wasn't really
expecting to be photographed that day (hence my hair do), but
at that point I was to excited to care, haha!

Oh yeah and I almost forgot.  Kevin (my husband) and I went to an estate sale yesterday where I found my very first Ironstone pitcher (see it on the wash stand above).  I spotted it as soon as I entered the house. I think, no I'm sure,  my heart skipped a beat.  Not only was it a true-made in England Ironstone pitcher, it was a large one at that!  It was even holding a fresh bouquet of peonies, one of my favorite flowers.  We were actually there to check out a 7, yes 7, library/harvest/farm/work tables.  After placing our bid in the box, we were excited today to find out we won 4!  Looks like I may be getting my rustic farmhouse table sooner than I thought, woohoo! That leaves 3 left for you:) keep an out on here for them!

So now you know why this was such a wonderfully busy week for me.  I feel truly blessed to be given such wonderful opportunities,  to have a happy healthy family, and to meet new friends everyday:)




Linking to: Three Mango Seeds

My heart throb...the farm house table

Today was a great day at the shop, I finished rearranging the entire shop for the millionth time. Every time a piece finds a home, I have to shift all the other pieces around the room and then re-acccesorize them all.  Last week we brought from our home workshop a table and chair set that is very special to me.  I know I could say every piece I refurbish is special, but I had hopes for this set, hopes that it would be MINE!  A year ago or so, I bought Annie Sloan's book "Quick and Easy Paint Transformations" and I fell in love with this-

Isn't it gorgeous?! Sigh...

I have been searching for just the right table and chairs to refurbish just like this.  Well, after months of searching Estate Sales, Craigslist and Auctions, I finally came across a work table with nice and big drawers, a solid oak top and tarnished brass feet in a dark dingy basement at an Estate Sale.  The  4 antique farm chairs are from an individual whose family actually owned a farm.  The chairs needed a little reinforcing and the table was a honey oak in color, but workable.  I started off by painting the chairs and bottom of the table in ASCP Antibes.  I really wanted them heavily distressed, so instead of hand sanding them, I went to them with a hand sander and achieved just the look I was going for.  

Don't let the brightness of the green scare you, they
get much better after dark wax

After distressing the chairs and the bottom of the table, I used dark wax to really deepen the rich green color.  It also brought out the grain and all of the perfect imperfections of the chairs that I adore.

I did the same technique to the legs and skirting of the table.

Next came the top of the table.  It was in pretty good shape, but definetly not the look we were going for it needed to be abused a little, so here is where the fun came in.  My lovely husband Kevin used a wire brush attachment on the edge of the table to really "cut" into the grain and give it a rustic texture.  We also hit a few times with a heavy tool to make sure there were dents and divots in all the right areas, fun fun!  Now it was coming along!  After sanding it down to rid the old poly and orangy oak stain, I did a white wash treatment using 50/50 Old White and water.  

Like the book said, we could have left it like
this and it would have look great, but
not what I had in mind.

So, I did as Annie did and used the dark wax to really deepen the crevices and to give the look of a table that has been used on the farm for decades.  

Using Dark Wax can be scary at times, but
as long as you work it in and go in sections
it gives it so much character.

Finished top that shows wear and tear
with a natural rustic appeal.

After all of the wax dried for a day, I buffed it out to a soft sheen.  As I was doing this I thought about how wonderful this would look in my kitchen with an old farm house fireplace mantel.  The kids could even beat on it and just add to the character!  But like all the rest, it had to go. Forced by my husband (yes, dear I called you out) we hauled it to the shop for it's turn on the floor.  And so, yesterday I found just the right place for my rustic little heart throb of a table.  It sits next to the fireplace mantel, in a great big room, not my little kitchen, but looks amazing still the same.  Like in Annie's the book, I took inspiration of the simplicity of just a wooden bowl with a splash of color from fresh pears.  

Done and Ready for one lucky kitchen or dining room!

The BIG DEEP drawers,  I will find you again someday...

And so, I will once again be on a mission to find this table and chairs again.  It may not be tomorrow or next week, but someday I will have my very own fresh off the farm rustic table and chairs.

Thank you for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed reading about this project as much as I loved doing it.  Have you done something lately or maybe not so lately that you just fell in love with? If so, I love to hear about it:)

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there!