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

Captain's Desk

It's been a beautiful warm fall, until 2 hours ago.  This morning it was almost balmy, now it's cold, rainy & blowing like the dickens.  Well, that's typical of Michigan, wait 5 minutes & the weather will change.  Luckily I have worked very hard these last couple of weeks on getting my garage cleaned out so I can park in there again.  That is a huge deal here in the north.

Last weekend was one of those perfectly perfect warm fall weekends. The kind you dream of when you live in the north & so much of your day depends on the temps & sunshine.  We went to the best flea market in our area, Collette's Vintage & Antique Mall, & I scored yet again. 

I bought the most adorable Captain's Desk.

 Have you ever seen a desk like this?  It has four drawers on both sides & the top lifts up for more storage.  It's petite so it can go anywhere.  I just had so much potential.

I decided to paint it "Garden Gate" Green. It's one of the colors in my new chalk paint line from The Vintage Farmhouse.  I painted the drawers in "Dairy Cream".  Then it sat for a couple of days, I had a graphic block.  Ever get that?  I was trying to think of the "Blow your mind" kind of graphic & it just wasn't happening.  Sometimes you just have to go with the familiar.  

This is what I ended up with:

My all time favorite French script stencil.

I know you are all probably getting bored with this one, but I love it!

I plastered it all over this baby.  The top, the sides.....

And the front.  So pretty....

I paired it with a petite chair painted in the same cream.

Here it is in my booth.  You can see the chair peeking out from behind the desk.  I just love how much storage you get with a desk like this. The petite size with that kind of storage is a perfect combination.

Stay tuned, I will be posting about that cute yellow cabinet next!  Check us out on Facebook to see what we're up to.  Love to hear from you. Thanks for stopping by,  Dee

Sweet Waterfall Vanity

This has been my month for the Roadside Treasure scores.  It seems like I have found something cool every week for about a month now.  Seriously, I'm just counting in my head & I'm at at least 9 items. My best score was the Charak table, you can read about it here.  I found this sweet little Waterfall Vanity the very next week:

It was missing the mirror, but was in great shape!

I added a little trim here & there, cleaned it up & painted it with my new Vintage Farmhouse Paint in a color called "Milk Pail".

I wanted to use a fun color on this piece & this was perfect.  The same week I found the vanity I also found the perfect mirror to go with it & yes! it was also a Roadside Treasure.  I swear!!!

You can see the silver is very worn & perfectly chippy.  It was just meant to go with this vanity.

Here they are together in my Booth.  LOVE IT!!

I had a bench we picked up a few months ago just waiting for a vanity. We painted it "Mason Jar" in the Vintage Farmhouse chalk paint & put some funky fabric on the seat cushion.

How cute is that!?  Some teenage girl is going to so want that.  

What do you think? Is it to over the top?  I like it!

Have you painted anything fun lately?

Thanks for stopping by, check us out on Facebook to see what we're up to. Have a great week,  Dee

Le Petite Numbered Dresser

I can't believe fall is upon us already.  It's my favorite season but it sure got here in a hurry. I have been in a race against the weather.  My days of painting in my garage are numbered.

A couple of weeks ago I found a cute petite dresser in the flea market at Collette's Antique Mall where I have my booth.

I spotted this little beauty as soon as I pulled into the parking lot.

It's made of pine & had a heavy shellac on it.  

Do you ever see a piece of furniture & immediately your brain starts picturing exactly how you want to paint it?  That's what happened with this dresser. 

I needed a small piece to try out my new paint on.  I am now a retailer for "The Vintage Farmhouse" chalk paint.  Have you ever heard of it?  It's made in Texas & comes in 17 beautiful colors.  You can check out their Facebook page here.  Tell Tresa "Dee from My Painted Stuff sent you."

I chose a color called "Old Scale". It's a true black, not a grey black like most chalk paint blacks.

How cute is that?!

The stripe is in a color called "Dairy Cream" & the Fleur Di Lis is in "Milk Pail".  I envisioned numbers on the drawer fronts the minute I seen this piece.

It needed a little pop of color, so I added the Fleur dis Lis at the last minute.  

Super cute in a bathroom or a child's room.

Here it is in my booth.

It compliments the vanity on the left, it's painted that "Milk Pail" color I mentioned earlier.  I'll be writing a post on that next time.

Now I need to get busy & finish up all the projects in my garage so I can park in there before the snow flies.  Check us out on Facebook to see what we are up to.  Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day,  Dee.

Chippy Blue Dresser

Hope you all are settling in to the back to school routine. I for one am thoroughly enjoying it. It's amazing how much more I can accomplish once school starts.

My Mom surprised me with the cutest little dresser she picked up one day in her many travels.  She warned me it was in rough shape.

This poor little thing was so dry that two of the drawers had big cracks in them & it was also cracked on one side.  The paint was also cracked & totally chipping.  

There were crayon scribbles all over on it.

You can see in this picture the crack on the side & how dry it was.

We decided to start by sanding off the chipping paint.  So my ever patient Husband took the palm sander to her.   Once she was sanded & smooth, she didn't look so bad.  

She has this amazing aged patina. With all my faux finish & painting knowledge, I doubt I could duplicate this beautiful patina.

I decided to just clear wax her.  It would be a sin to strip & paint this little beauty.

Here she is with her new polished look.

 I just love the different depths of color & texture.  And the size is perfect for a bathroom, dining room or guest bedroom.

This is by far the chippiest piece I've ever done.

Which is probably why I love it so much.

She shined up beautiful.......

She's not perfect, one of her drawers is wonky, but their all tongue & groove. 

This little beauty is going right onto my booth.  Wish we could keep her because both me & my Husband just love it, but alas we have no room for her.  I'm sure someone will love her with all her wear & imperfections.  

Don't forget to check us out on Facebook to see what's happening. Thanks for stopping by & a have a great day!  Dee

Charak? Who's Charak??

Are you ready for my tall tale of the table I showed you at the end of my last post?

My Mom received a phone call one morning from one of her co-workers saying someone was putting a table out to the road. It looked like something we could use.  That was all I needed to hear. My Son & I jumped into my mini van & made it there within minutes.  At first glance it looked like your run of the mill drop leaf table.  It was in pretty good shape.  So we loaded it up.  It came with four leafs in a custom made crate.

When we get it home I take a closer look at it.  The first thing I notice is how dry the wood is.  The top has several scratches, a couple of gauges, two water rings & a huge bleach ring.  OK, now do I paint?  I decide to wait.  There are two arms under the top that swing out, but their on the same side of the table... Why?

 We open it up & install all the leafs..

Wow! This table is Huge. It would seat 10 easy.  When we opened it up, inside there is a label...

We stopped what we were doing & did a little research.

Charak Furniture Company? Have you ever heard of Charak Furniture?  Turns out  Charak Furniture was one of the leading manufactures of reproduction Colonial Furniture during the 19th Century in Boston. They are known for their eclectic pieces.  Most of their pieces are dated & numbered.  The date on this table is 1934, the "Danbury" table, number 89.  

Now I'm thinking maybe I should wait & not paint this table.

We couldn't figure out how to get the leafs to drop.  We could see the hinges underneath, so it had to drop somehow.  There is a bolt underneath at each end of the table top that secures the last leaf to the base.  When un-screwed, it releases the top from the base.  But it wouldn't drop.  Hmmm.....

Then my brilliant Husband said "Wait a minute,  it can turn!"

What!?  The light bulb goes off! That's why the arms are on the same side of the table.  This is not your traditional drop leaf table...

Once you pivot the top, you insert two of the four leafs to fill the open cavity of the base & you get a serving table!

Amazing!..... Not only am I not painting this table, I am not selling it either!  I am keeping it :)

I'm not sure if this table is a valuable antique or not, but if it is I don't want to do anything to it to hurt the finish. Since I am keeping it though, I do want to make it look as good as I can.  Not being very knowledgeable in Antique Restoration I didn't know where to start.  The table was dirty & had a funky smell.

So we decided to look on You Tube for some direction.  That sent us on a quick trip to the hardware store for some Murphy's Oil Soap & a bottle of Old English Oil.

We first vacuumed it off, then washed it down with the Murphy's Oil Soap & let it dry.  Now we wanted to see how this Old English Scratch Cover (for dark woods) would work.

We started with the leafs & was pleasantly surprised!  It made the scratches disappear & hydrated the wood as well as shining up the finish.

This stuff worked miracles.

I swear you could just hear the wood soaking up the oil & sighing with relief.......

This I could defiantly live with!!

We quickly moved it into our kitchen....

We love our new table.  Now when we have company we can add a leaf or two & enjoy a meal in the same room at the same table. 

It amazes me every week what Treasures I find on garbage day.  This has to be my best Roadside Treasure to date! Thanks Chris for the phone call & No, we did not paint it!  

So that is my tall tale on the Charak table. Unbelievable, yet true.

Have you found any Roadside Treasures you couldn't part with?

 Don't forget to check us out on Facebook to see what else we're up to.  Thanks for visiting,  Dee

Tables, Tables, Tables...

Where did the week go, let alone the Summer?

I have been painting like a fiend this week to make room for another custom piece I have coming in the next few days.

We were able to complete four tables, not bad for a five day week.  Once again I do not have before pictures of most of this work, I promise to slow down & do better on this.  I just get so excited to get started.  Here is the first table:

Available at Sassy Fabrics in Grand Blanc,  MI

My husband picked this coffee table up at a yard sale while he was working in Kentucky about a month ago.  It sat in our garage waiting for inspiration most of the Summer.  Finally he decided to paint it himself.  The body is painted black & the top is painted Pure white.  He has been talking about this "Subway" art style for at least 6 months, now was his opportunity to try it.  We found these basic card stock paper stencils at our local hardware store & they worked perfectly.  Then we added the Fleur de lis on both sides in Paris Grey. 

Here's a better picture of the top.

This would be perfect for the college apartment, don't you think?

The next set of end tables were in rough shape when I got them.  They had been left out in the rain & the tops had completely bowed & popped off the bases.  Luckily I had a couple of old table leafs that were the perfect width for replacements, so with the help of a friend, we cut one in half & screwed them on.

I painted them Graphite & once again used my favorite stencil on the tops, sides & drawer fronts. These pictures just don't do them justice.

Loving this stencil...

I sold these to a friend before the wax was even dry.  Love it when that happens :)

The last table I actually have the before picture.

Okay, I had already started sanding this piece but I did remember to take the picture before I painted it.

I'm using a new chalk paint called "La Ferme Millesime" or "The Vintage Farmhouse".  It's made in Texas & goes on like butter.  I love it so much that now I am a retailer for this chalk paint.

Here it is in my booth.  I love that they are packaged in the mason jars.  It really lets you see what the color looks like.

Back to the table,  I chose the color "Carriage House"

Available at Sassy Fabrics in Grand Blanc, MI

Then I put a Medallion stencil on the top in Pure White.

Just dresses it up.

So Shabbilicious .......  

So that is the tale of the Tables.  I will be sharing a tall tale about a unique table I found on the side of the road very soon.

Here's a peek :) Stay tuned, this one will knock your socks off..

 Check us out on Facebook to see what we've been up to. 

  Thanks for stopping by,  Dee