Make Up Armoire

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to post more often on my blog, as you can see I am failing miserably.  It's not that I'm out of things to share with you, it's more like I need more hours in the day to sit down & just write about it.  

In January I purchased two amazing pieces from The Lions Gate Market Consignment store which is in the same building where I have my workshop. Both of these pieces were Armories, you can see the first one here.  This Armoire was really a bar.

It had that very dated 80's Blonde Faux Distressed finish, but it also had some amazing detail.

When you opened the doors it lite up inside!  This gave me an idea, what if I removed the wine bottle holder, glamed it up & turned it into a Make-up vanity!? It had an outlet inside for a blow dryer/curling iron.  That was my vision.

After doing some minor modifications, I was ready for paint.  I chose a very Bold color from The Urban Rooster called "Jaded Rooster".  It was my first time using this chalky paint & I have to say I loved it!

Wow! So much better.

After painting & distressing I decided to dark wax the details. You can see the difference it made, the door on the right has the dark wax the one on the left does not.

Now it was time to customize the inside.....

I added some cork to the doors, then stenciled it....

Then I added little cup hooks to hang necklaces on, it's hard to see them in these pictures but they're on there.

I also decoupaged the inside shelves with some script paper.

I love how it turned out!!!

A very nice Mom bought this for her teenage daughter, what a lucky girl!  I hope she enjoys it for many years to come.

 Please check us out on Facebook to see what we're up to this week.  Thank you for stopping by,  Dee

Shabby White Armoire

```````````Happy Belated New Year everybody!!  I am so excited to have a fresh start, a new beginning.

My first project this year had me so inspired. I bought this Armoire from my good friend Jennifer at Lions Gate Market. It had good bones, but the finish screamed 80's.

It was big & Blonde, but it had good bones.

It's a Thomasville!

The previous owner had cut out the back to accommodate a T.V., There was a pole in it at one time & there was also an electrical plug with the cable cord. So it was very versatile, it could be an entertainment center or a clothing Armoire. 

I had big plans for this Beauty:  The first thing I did was give it a new Beadboard back.  Then I had to get rid of the Blonde finish so I painted it Bright White.  The old Blonde finish had a Faux distressing so I had to re-create the distressing with paint. So I painted the distressing back on, only in Black.  Then I did a clear wax on the whole thing. 

 To make the detail pop, I did a Black wax. I mixed Black paint right into my Clear Wax.

Here's a picture before Black wax:

Here is a picture after Black wax:

Before,

After,

Left side door has Black wax, Right side doesn't.

This is a good close up of the Faux Distressing: 

Love the new back! We cut a hole on the lower right hand side just in case someone wanted to use it as an entertainment center. I hope it goes in a Baby Girls Nursery.  

Or maybe even a very Sophisticated teenage Girls Shabby Chic bedroom.

Oh, who am I kidding!?  It could easily go in a grown up Woman's Dressing room.....

Available at V Trading in Grand Blanc, MI

Someday I hope to have a big enough Bedroom/dressing room,  so I can have one of these for my very own.  Where would you use this Beautiful piece?  Armoire or Entertainment Center?

  Check us out on Facebook to see what we're up to.  Thank you so much for stopping by. I wish you an amazing  & inspired New Year, Dee

Cornbread Yellow Cabinet

A couple of weeks ago I went to our local flea market at Collette's Antique Mall,  I found a couple of nice things on that beautiful day.  The captain's desk I showed you last week, you can see it here.  I also bought this cute little cabinet.

It's child size & had seen better days.   It looked like it had been used as a display at some point,  there was a sign still stuck to it. There was also a drawer missing.

We had envisioned using chicken wire somehow inside the drawer opening but, that proved to be impossible.  We went with the easy fix, a false drawer front.  So much easier & in the end looked so much better.....

This is what we came up with. We painted it with  "The Vintage Farmhouse" chalk paint in "Cornbread" Yellow.  Then to break it up we added white to the false front & top.  It still needed a little something, so I added a couple of sweet Chickadee's on a Wire.

Here's a close up:

Soooooooo Cute!

Some little girl will be in Shabby Chic heaven with this.  I could even see it in a Bathroom or Entry way.

Here it is in our Booth:

Sorry for the fuzzy picture.  I had to take it with my phone & had a little trouble keeping a steady hand.  It gives you a better idea of the scale of this cabinet. It's small but so cute.  I love the pop of color it added to the booth.

Now we are working on Holiday pieces.  It won't be long before we are decorating the booth for Christmas. YIKES!!!!

Now that I've scared the dickens out of you, make sure you check us out on Facebook.  Thanks for stopping by.  Dee

One Ugly Buffet

In the last week we have had Summer, Fall & Winter here in Michigan. Just last Monday my Mom & I were painting in my driveway in beautiful Sunny 75 degree weather. Now as I look out my window at my driveway all I see is a windy rain/sleet/snow mix kind of day. Yuck! That's Michigan weather for you. I guess I'll have to go back to painting in the basement.

Early in the spring this year a family member gave us a Dining table, four chairs & one ugly buffet. Thanks Scott & Rhonda! They were elated to find someone to take it off their hands. This is not the most attractive dining set on the planet.  It's from the early 80's, maybe even the mid 70's. It's that very heavy, chunky real ornate style. This always looks better painted. We started with the buffet. Here is a before picture:

This is my Mom giving it a good cleaning. This buffet has a "Marble" like stone top that was very scratched & dull. Just look at those enormous handles. What were they thinking? They look big enough to open a twelve foot door! They are almost Gothic looking. We removed them & filled the holes, I figured anything I replaced them with would have to look better then this.

After a good cleaning we gave it two coats of Old White & two coats of clear wax. I wanted to brighten/lighten up this heavy look. Once the painting & waxing was done we had some primping still to do on this piece.  The top was scrubbed & polished clean. We went to Hobby Lobby & found the perfect knobs to replace the old Gothic ones.  Here is the after picture:



Available at Sassy Fabrics (V Trading) in Grand Blanc, MI



So much better! We distressed it to enhance all the detail. Here is a shot of the "Marble" top:

The inside got alittle attention too.

We decoupaged the inside of the drawer & the shelf...

This has become my go to alternative to contact paper. I love how it looks. It's a graphic of a Vintage French script from The Graphics Fairy. I printed it on stock paper & cut it to the size I needed. I've used it recently here on a desk we finished last month....

and on a mirror/key holder organizer..



Available at Collette's Vintage & Antique Mall in Burton, MI



This one I added some other graphics on top of the script. This is in our booth at Collette's Vintage & Antique Mall.

When I first seen this buffet I thought to myself "That is one ugly buffet". Now with a new paint job & hardware I think the buffet turned out beautiful. We also painted the table & chairs but I'll show you those later. The chairs need major upholstery work. 

I hope you enjoyed your visit. I love to read your comments. Have a Happy & Safe Halloween.  Dee



Shabby French Hutch

I hope everyone is back to school & settling into the routine.  I for one am ready for the nice long morning/afternoon of freedom......

Sorry, just savoring the moment.  Here's what we've been up to:

About the middle of the summer, my Mom came across the best garage sale. I know you all can relate. The one where you see nothing but furniture with great potential at great prices. This was her score that day:

It had the worst paint job. This dark brown paint was a shiny drippy mess. I took my sander to it & showed no mercy!  After sanding off all the drips, it was time to talk about color.  This little hutch reminded me so much of the very first one I painted back in March, you can read about it here. This is what it looked like:

Sold

This one was Old White & Paris Grey. I love this combination, so crisp & clean looking. So this was my inspiration. This color combo is a great seller in my booth.  At the last minute we decided to go with Pure White instead. I know it's not a huge difference, but it is brighter looking & that's what I wanted. Here is what it looks like now:



Available at Sassy Fabrics (V Trading) in Grand Blanc, MI.



There are two drawers & one of them it slotted & lined in green felt for flatware. Behind the sliding doors is great storage with a shelf. I just love this Shabby Mid Century Modern Style. The new paint really gives this piece a whole new fresh look don't you think?

Here are a few more things we finished this past week:

Available at Sassy Fabrics.

The sweetest little High chair.  I wasn't very excited when I first seen this, but after it was painted I was thrilled!



Also at Sassy Fabrics (V Trading) in Grand Blanc, MI



And a pair of Oak pressed back chairs. These look so pretty in Shabby White.....

Well, that's it for now. If you live in my area & are thinking about having some furniture painted, email me a picture & I'll get back to you. We love doing custom work.

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend. Thanks for stopping by, 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.

Sold

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