Cottage Cutie

This is one of the pieces Kenny brought home

from his solo day out shopping...

It had some issues,

including this ugly repair on the door

While I was scheming about what color to paint it,

I was informed by my dear husband that he was painting it

and it was going to be green...

so green it is!

So he mixed up green milk paint

from The Real Milk Paint Company

and got busy...

Because this piece was solid wood,

and most of the original stain had worn away

he didn't need to sand it, or add bonding agent...

just paint mixed with water

The above photo is after two coats

but before waxing and distressing

 hand distressing looks so much more authentic

than anything you can accomplish 

with a mechanical sander, in my opinion!

 four coats of Good Ol Brown Wax

helped richen the color

and protect the finish...

now it's smooth as silk

Good Ol' Brown Wax

is a lighter shade of brown

and definitely not as scary

as some of the darker, deeper waxes!

 The hardware is original, and is pretty amazing!

This turned out darling...

we added new casters

and I can visualize this piece

loaded up with holiday yummies

being wheeled around the dining room 

before finding it's resting spot

right next to the kids table!

You can find this piece in our Etsy shop!

Chinoiserie Chicness

this rather boring, faux bamboo mirror

somehow made it's way

in to our studio...

I was just NOT feeling it

but Kenny wanted to paint it...

"go for it" said I

(with a dramatic eye-roll added for effect)

Boy, did I miss the boat on this one!

 It's nothing short of fabulous!

Chinoserie isn't really "my thing"

but as I saw this mirror  being completed

I started imaging it in a less literal setting...

 Mixed with other Chinoiserie pieces

but lots of more modern  pieces, as well

It fresh and attention-grabbing...

a little bit glam,

 a little bit classic and refined

 

 I was so inspired by this mirror,

I created a Chinoiserie Pinterest Board! 

I can see it now...

I'm already trolling Craigslist

for other Chinoiserie pieces!

 

Flyin' Solo

I woke up early this morning...

well, early for a Sunday!

Before I could be persuaded otherwise,

I put on my paint clothes and laced up my sneakers...

only to find Kenny dressed and ready...

to go pickin'

Not to be dissuaded, I sent him on his way while I happily went off to paint

The guy has got skills, what else can I say?

Would you look at what he came back with:

 A cute little frame

 Why yes, that IS purple corduroy!

 BOTH of these wonderful tables...

I can't decide which I love best!

 although, the wood grain pattern on the French one

makes a compelling argument in it's favor

and this little bit of cuteness...

with original hardware! 

With this addition  of the these items, 

plus the 9 drawer dresser

vanity, two nightstands, and mirror

we brought back yesterday...

we are OFFICIALLY 

out of room!

Mademoiselle Dresser

We've scored a slew of French Provincial dressers lately...

seems like it's feast or famine, and they typically sell so quickly...

we snatch them up whenever we see a great one

We're incredibly particular with our pieces...

they must be solid wood, preferably circa 1960 or earlier

with stand-out details that make them special

This dresser certainly met the criteria!

So heavy...solid wood cut nice and thick!

It's made by Dixie, circa 1950's...

before Dixie started using 

laminate and particle board

Check out the details...

Kenny spent lots of time

making sure each and every drawer

(there are NINE!)

looked like new...

We've been having a bit of a love affair with brighter, richer colors lately....

but for this piece, we went back to our "roots" so-to-speak

my first loves, Paris Grey and Old White

From Annie Sloan, of course!

Love this dresser?

It's for sale in our Etsy Shop

Widdecomb Wonderfulness

I'm usually a bit of a Craig's List junkie...

but I've not perused in a while

(like, three or four whole DAYS!)

 

I had BIG plans to spend the day painting...

you see, I'm *THIS* close

to finishing a giant French dresser

but this morning, I decided to have a peek on CL

and just look what I found!

There is a gorgeous mirror, too!

 

Very few pieces make my heart skip a beat anymore...

we purchase SO many amazing pieces

but this set was simply BEYOND

The set had been listed for a MONTH

without a single person coming to see it...

are people CRAZY??

How I missed it for that long, I'm uncertain...

but they re-listed it this morning...

and I saw it minutes later.

Fate, right?

This set was DESTINED for us...

(doubtful that fate and destiny concern themselves with furniture purchases, 

but WHATEVER...)

Not only is it clearly GORGEOUS,

it's also Widdecomb

Highly collectible, highly stunning!

Check out the hardware...

it's cast brass

 

and would you just LOOK at that hand painted detail!

We purchased this from a sweet lady and her mom

It originally belonged to the young lady's grandmother,

 who purchased it new

right around WWII...

 

They are moving on Monday, and since they had no takers

and didn't want to see it go to Goodwill,

we got for a VERY good price!

The dilemma, of course, is to paint or not to paint...

on one hand, it would be stunning painted

on the other hand,

the original paint has so much charm and history...

 

HMMMM....

such decisions!

Could you paint over this?

Or would you clean it up and see if you had any takers??

As you probably already know,

we have two loves when it comes to paint

Chalk Paint and Milk Paint

When it comes to Milk Paint, our hearts belong to

The Real Milk Paint Company

 

We know there are lots of options

for paint...

these are just the ones WE prefer

All of the above photos

showcase the variety of 

finishes that can be achieved 

with Milk Paint

The folks at Real Milk Paint

want to show you how absolutely 

GREAT

they are...

so guess what?

 

That's right, a give-away! 

A quart of Milk Paint

and a 16oz container

of our new favorite product,

Burnishing Paste

(we like low sheen)

Just like them on FB

Visit their website 

Tell us your favorite Milk Paint color

and then leave THREE separate comments

on THIS blog

letting us know you did each of the above

 

Easy Peasy, right??  

 

Good luck! 

No Shy Violets Here!

Well...

this dresser...

it doesn't have a ton of fancy carvings

or too many frills...

but that is why I love it so

The subtle beauty of it

the long, tapered legs

the slight serpentine body

the elegant hardware

The fact that it's Hendredon

really pushes me over the edge!

I debated on doing a more subtle color

but really, why? 

The simple elegance of this piece was just 

BEGGING for something different

I perused Pinterest for color inspiration...

I knew I wanted a sophisticated purple

Very smokey and sexy and grown-up

if you're interested, here is the Pinboard

For the record, my husband and partner, Kenny,

was NOT on board with this color

When I said "Purple"

he envisioned deep, regal purple

with gold hardware

Me? Not so much!

I mixed up this custom color using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

then applied a glaze over the top using glaze base and pigment 

The top, well, it gave me some trouble!

My plan was to strip it  and re-stain it in that lovely

weathered wood look my friend at Stellar Junk does so well

I mixed up my staining concoction

and started stripping the table

All was good until towards the back,

 a HUGE burn mark materialized!!

NOOOOO!!!

I considered stenciling over it, making the top striped...

just wasn't working out at all...

so bummed!

Not to be discouraged, I mixed up a custom grey

then topped it with the smoke glaze

Perfect!

Such an elegant, sexy piece of furniture!

I've decorated the entire room this belongs in...

Velvets and silks, some crumpled linen perhaps

a chandelier, dripping in crystals

(check out the lavender one on my board!)

dark walls and a soft rug

plush, lush, and dreamy...

Available in our Etsy Shop