Rustic Versailles?

I found this lovely little commode yesterday,
and could barely get it home fast enough to paint it!

The lovely Robyn of Robyn Story Designs
allowed me to purchase
some great ASCP in sample sizes....
Versailles was one of my picks.

This piece just really wanted to be Versailles...
I pulled out Paris Grey,
then French Linen,
then settled on Greek Blue...
I went to clean out the drawers,
and discovered they had original olive green paint.
Versailles looked great with the darker olive!

I love that it's all Frenchy curves,
yet the wood is very thick and rustic...
tres French Chateau

I know some folks claim that painted hardware
gets gunky and sticky,
but I've not had a problem with this...
I think latex is the culprit in that situation!

In any event, I opted to leave the handles original...
I like the darkness and visual interest they add to the piece

I have a perfect spot for this piece in my house...
hmmm...can't keep them all, right??

A few finds

We've scored some wonderful things lately
and nothing inspires me more
than gorgeous pieces to paint

Is this mirror not gorgeous?

I love the little bow

and all the scrolly details...
and I can't WAIT to paint it!

We also scored this Bird's Eye Maple dresser.

The label reads:
Empire Furniture
Empress Dresser...

Who doesn't want an Empress Dresser?

Our little corner of the world...

I'm usually running at full-speed,
and even with boundless energy (hahaha)
I still hadn't carved out the time
to make our space at Summer House "OURS"

It looked OK, but was really just a room
full of unrelated painted furniture

I wanted some soft pieces, like pillows
(have I mentioned I HATE sewing?)
And a more cohesive look

Customers should want to stay awhile, and just visit
(and then just purchase...!)

We finally committed to nearly a full day,
and I'm happy with the results
(OK, so I'm happy enough, for now!)
The paint on the walls still bugs me,
and I need to bring over
my huge jute rug,
but there never seems to be
enough hours in the day

(maybe less time on FB and more time being productive? Nah.)

I SHUTTER to think...

These poor little shutters...
well, as my husband pointed out,
they aren't shutters,
"those are saloon doors, you know that, right?"

Irrelevant, say I.
They were coated in icky latex

I scraped and stripped and scrubbed...

Then I washed them in a custom mixed ASCP color

I didn't have a plan for them,
and I was just sorta playing around
with different techniques

But they add a nice little bit of texture
and color to our space at
Summer House Marketplace

A Picture of a Pitcher for Rebekah

My sweet friend (and client) Rebekah
has been hunting for a tall French Body Pitcher

This is clearly NOT a tall French Body Pitcher
But is it French, and it is a pitcher

It is also the perfect shade of French Blue
and perfectly chippy
basically, it's pretty perfect, period.

Sweet Valley...sign.

No way I was leaving the store without this porcelain sign...

It's fantastic...perfectly rusted and faded

Not sure I will sell this one...
it will look VERY lovely
above my kitchen entryway

Pillows

SCORE!
Love these vintage sugar sacks

Someone applied crochet to the edges
and probably used them as pillow cases on a bed

I'll be removing the crochet (too precious for me!)
and creating an envelope closure
with some vintage buttons on the back

These vintage ticking pillowcases were already sewn and ready to go...
The metal zipper opens and closes smoothly...
and the fabric is SPOTLESS

Aren't they sweet with the sack pillows?

Old World Lovliness

With the exception of the charming little bust,
these pieces were all done as a custom order...
I wish I had taken a "before" picture of this column
Imagine black and grey,
like it was painted for a prop
outside the Haunted Mansion

The nightstands were painted
to match the client's existing armoire
Hard to see in the photos,
but they have fabulous metal mesh fronts

I literally bought this mirror right off a relatives wall...

I'm hoping a narrow cloche I have at the store
will fit right over this little display...

We custom mixed the wax for this piece...a lovely taupe
I want to move in to this room when it's done...
based on the pieces I've seen/done so far...
It's going to be amazing!

Free Moth Insurance

This lovely desk is off to a new home...

Custom painted
to coordinate with the rest of the
living room...

Doesn't everything look better
in grey and cream?

The details on this cedar chest are stunning...

Not only was there a photo of the original owner (c. 1920's)
but this piece also comes with
$100 worth of Moth Insurance!

Mirrors, my weakness

Scored some great mirrors tonight...

This one will be painted for sure
with white highlighting the carved areas

This one, however,
will not be going anywhere...
and it won't be getting painted!
It's really old
and chippy
and is missing some gesso
here and there
the mirror is silvered,
with lots of pitting and ghosting
it's perfect,
like it came out of a haunted mansion

more pics tomorrow of this amazing mirror!

What's a Few Grain Sacks Among Friends?

Aren't these fabulous?
They came from the "World's Longest Yard Sale"
but I didn't attend the event...

I have a wonderful client named Rebekah...
she went to the yard sale
she knew I wanted grain sacks
she bought me 41...
yep, 41 grain sacks!


She had to cart them around (and home!)
her husband, Josh, had to talk to the crazy man selling them
(he's really a multi-millionaire...
just lugs around grain and feed sacks because he wants to...)

I have plans...big plans, small plans
lots of plans for all these grain sacks
I'm thinking pillows
wall hangings
upholstery
and whatever else strikes my fancy!

How much do I adore Rebekah?
More than 41 grain sacks, that's how much!
(and that's a lot because I really love the grain sacks!)

Verdigris Loveliness

Such a pretty chalkboard...
a nice juxtaposition of utilitarian and frivolous

I love the look of dramatic mirror over the vanity or dresser
and I wanted to capture that look
but with a desk

The carvings are elegant
and PURE from ASCP
perfectly accents them, don't you think?

I played mix-master and this color
turned out just as I envisioned

I envision this desk with a simple stool or Parson's chair
slip-covered in layers of ruffled white linen

I think these colors, together, are so relaxing and fresh!