Shabby Dressing Table

It's been crazy busy around here this week. I've been getting the kids ready for back to school & maintaining our painting routine. Wish I could squeeze a few more hours into a day. Better yet, I wish I could clone myself, then I would at least get the laundry & housework done along with the painting.

Enough of my whining....

As I mentioned in my last post, we are introducing some new warmer colors into our palette.  This week we worked with Old Ochre & Coco. I just love this color combination!  We have been on this vanity/dressing table phase lately. A couple of weeks ago I found a buffet on Craig's List, when we went to look at it we decided to pass due to the poor condition. The lady also had a vanity for sale & that's what we came home with. Of course I do not have a before picture. I am really trying to do better about that...

Anyway, the paint on the whole piece was cracked & chipping off. We decided to just strip the top & see if it was in good enough condition to stain. So after lots of sanding & two coats of Dark Walnut stain, this is what it looks like:

I love this look.  I gave the top several coats of Minwax Wipe On Poly. Love this product by the way, so easy to use. Then we painted the body Old Ochre with the highlights in Coco. The hardware & detail on the front is in Modern Masters English Brown Metallic Paint.

We sanded & distressed then gave it a coat each of clear & dark waxes.

Did I mention there is a chair that goes with this beautiful Dressing table?

Front & Back 

Here is a close up of the fancy seat cushion:

Here is the finished set:

Sigh..........

I feel like we need to call this a "Dressing Table" & NOT a 'Vanity" because it is so elegant looking. There is the original mirror on the inside. The lady we bought this from said she remembers when her grandmother bought this, so she is guessing it was at least 45 years old. The pictures just don't do these pieces justice. 

Look for us to be doing more of these warm beautiful colors in the near future.  Are you giving some new colors a try? I'd love to hear about it.

If you are interested in this beautiful set it's for sale at Sassy Fabrics (V Trading) in Grand Blanc, MI.  If you live in my area & have an old piece of furniture that you want painted, shoot me an email & we can talk about it.

Have a great & safe Holiday weekend. Thanks for visiting,  Dee

Another Busy Week

I hope you all are having a wonderful week.  I know we have been very busy around here trying to get things done before the back to school rush overwhelms us.  It seems like the minute the kids go back to school the weather changes & the days get way shorter.

Anyway, here is what we have been up to this past week. We decided to try some new color combos.  I liked Coco with Old White this week so you will see a few pieces in that scheme in my next few posts.  I do not have a before picture of this coffee table, but it was in rough shape. It was given to us by a friend who found it in a dumpster at an apartment complex he was working at (Thanks Don!). It has a real leather top, but it had seen better days.

I love this color combination, so warm.

Nice & Shabby....

Here's a nice closeup of the top.  I like how the leather top almost gives it a padded look.  Of course I found the perfect graphic at The Graphics Fairy.   This is one of my favorite graphics & I have used it several times now. You first seen it here in my very first post.

We also painted a lot of Pure White:

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The cutest little Shabby White Pedestal Mirror...

A nice side table. This was actually a redo, here is what it looked like the first time I painted it:

Yellow is like red, it's a hard sell for some reason. So we repainted it Pure White & added a stencil & a knob we picked up at Hobby Lobby.

Then we painted a chair to match.....

The front....

& the back... 

So it's been another busy week. Next week I'll show you some more pieces we painted in that beautiful Old Ochre/Coco combo. If you are interested in any of these pieces you can find them at Sassy Fabrics (V Trading) in Grand Blanc, MI. Thanks for visiting.  I hope you all have a great weekend!  Dee

Finally Primer Red!

A couple of week's ago I finally joined the band wagon & tried Primer Red. I had to see for myself what all the hoopla was about. I have been a little skeptical about red because in my experience it's a hard sell.  I have attempted red in the past, I did a "Swiss" dresser, here, after trying to sell it in three different places I ended up keeping it for our game room (not that it's a bad thing). I'm just saying not everyone likes red. Here's a sneak peek at my two Primer Red projects:

The first picture is of the mirror that goes to an awesome Empire style dresser. I can't believe it, I do not have a before picture of this project. I am so mad at myself, I have had this piece in my garage for almost a year now. On to the after pictures:

Anyway, I like this red much better then the Swiss red.

After two coats of Primer Red, sanding/distressing I was ready for graphics. I found just what I needed from The Graphics Fairy.  I added a cute little stencil, gave it two coats of clear wax, & some new knobs from Hobby Lobby.

I'm not sure if you can tell, but I used the stencil in an all over pattern on the mirror. They look really cool when they are close together.

Now onto the second project: Here is the before.

This little cabinet needed some TLC. The doors were impossible to open & it was missing a back which made it very rickety. After an afternoon of sanding, greasing & attaching a back, this little cabinet was ready for paint. We decided to stain the top, not really my territory, but I was willing to give it a try. We just sanded the top instead of stripping it, so when it was stained we got a lot of different color tones in the wood.

I kind of liked it! It gave it a rustic look. I added a graphic, painted the body with two coats of paint, a coat of clear & a coat of dark waxes. I love how rich the color turns when you add the dark wax.

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This is such a nice sized little cabinet, perfect for an entry room or bathroom, even an end table. My husband kept calling it the "Mini bar for the man cave."

I like Primer Red & will be using it again in the future I'm sure. Have you tried a new color lately?

If you are interested in either of these pieces,they are both available at Sassy Fabrics (V Trading) in Grand Blanc , MI. If you live in my area & you have an old piece of furniture that you would like to have painted, just shoot me an email & I'll get back to you. Thanks for visiting & have a great day! Dee

Color of the week: Duck Egg Blue

Lately it seems like every week we are painting several pieces at a time in one color. Three weeks ago it was black, two weeks ago it was white & last week it was my all time favorite Duck Egg Blue.

We painted three large pieces in this beautiful color. Let me start with the one that was most challenging:

This was the sneak peek I teased you with last week. Here is what it looked like when I bought it off Craig's List:

This little cutie was in pieces, the man I bought it from had started to restore it & then stopped. So I got it for a song but had to figure it out like a puzzle. The drawer needed a new bottom & new drawer glides. The glass was original but very discolored & we only had about half of the cool wood appliques. Here is the puzzle all put together:

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We painted the body DIY Chalk paint in Duck Egg Blue, the shelves are in Paris Grey & the appliques are in Old White. We used this beautiful toile contact paper on the inside & in the drawer & polished up the original hardware. I wanted to do something different with the door since the glass was in rough shape. We decided to try the chicken wire, I sprayed it black & nailed it in place of the glass. After two coats of ASCP clear wax it was complete. On to the next piece:

This is what I teased you with last week. Here is how this darling vanity looked before:

My mom found it at a garage sale & it was the score of the week! Here is my little assistant giving me a hand. All this vanity needed was a new chain for the mirror. Here is how it looked after:

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I swear this color would make anything look better....

Once again I used one of my favorite graphics from The Graphics Fairy.  We lined the inside with the same toile contact paper & used the original hardware. Gave it two coats a ASCP clear wax & buffed to perfection!

Now last but not least: last weeks teaser:

Here is the before:

This waterfall vanity was a roadside treasure! It was given to me by my new favorite person, Paul.  Thank you Paul!  It was missing the mirror & all the hardware. Not perfect but still had potential. We added some trim on the back to fill the void where the mirror went & filled the holes on the drawers.

Here is the after:

Super cute with the new color & some fancy new bling.....

You would never even know there used to be a mirror there. My Mom had a stool that matched perfectly, it also got a face lift. Here is the graphic I chose for it. Guess where from? You got it The Graphics Fairy.

Sigh...... Can you believe what people throw out?

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Here they are together. A perfect pair.

Fortunately we are not the only ones that like Duck Egg Blue, we took these three pieces to Karen at Sassy Fabrics (V Trading) in Grand Blanc, Mi & the chicken wire cabinet & the water fall vanity set sold right away.  

Next week I think we'll try something different, maybe red. Thanks for visiting & have a great week!  Dee



Another Happy Customer!

A couple of weeks ago I received a phone call from a very nice lady, named Karen, who had a dresser she needed to have painted.  I gave you a sneak peek of it on my last post:

Here is the before picture:

As you can see, it was a Mid Century Modern dresser. It was in very good condition despite a few cosmetic issues on the top.  The day before Karen dropped off this dresser, my Mom scored a pair of nightstands that matched this dresser perfectly:

When Karen seen these little cuties she knew she wanted them, but had to measure to make sure they would fit her space.  Luckily for her, they did.

She wanted them Shabby White with black handles. The dresser was missing one of the original handles, so we would be replacing them all. She also wanted a nice graphic for the top of the dresser. This is what we came up with:

She did crystal knobs on the top two drawers, & we painted all the rest of the hardware black. I added a little stencil right where the knobs attach.

For the top we chose one of my favorite graphics from The Graphics Fairy.

I think the nightstands came out sooo cute!

Karen even made some very nice drawer liners with some pretty fabric.

We all loved how they came out. When Karen delivered the dresser, she drove up in a Prius. We couldn't believe our eyes, so when she showed up in the same car to pick up not one piece but three, we were all doubters.  Well, after much conversation & trial & error between my husband, myself & Karen, we did it!  If someone had told me they could fit a dresser & two nightstands in a Prius I wouldn't have believed it. Here is the proof:

The second nightstand is in the front seat. Talk about going "Green", she drives a "Green" car filled with "Refurbished" furniture. Can't beat that. Karen was thrilled with her new set & we have another happy customer! Thanks for visiting & have a great week!  Dee

  

 

More Features & a Sneak Peek

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. It's going by so fast, I can't believe it's August already!  My mom & I have been super busy this last couple of weeks. Before I give you a peek of what we've been up to I'd like to thank a couple of ladies.

First I need to thank Maryann over at The Power of Paint. I submitted my Corner Table roadside treasure & she featured it last Thursday. For those of you not familiar with this site it's for all things painted. It's super easy to submit your project & if Maryanne likes it you get featured. Thanks again Maryann!

Secondly I need to thank Cassie at Primitive and Proper.  She featured the same table at her rockin weekly "POWW Furniture linky party". It's every Tuesday & she does her favorites from the party every Saturday. I love this party & try to join every week. Cassie is super nice & super talented. She is always on the go with her family & still has time to write a blog & create beautiful stuff. I want to be just like her when I grow up! Thanks again Cassie!

Now a sneak peek at what we've been up to:

As you can see we have been really busy in the last couple of weeks. Sorry to leave you hanging but I promise to give you all the juicy details soon. Until then stay tuned!  Have a great day & thanks for visiting,  Dee