Exploring

Today, we played tourist in our own town,

Dunedin, FL

The weather was glorious

as was the company

(thanks Tracey and Glenn!)

We had brunch at The Living Room

(Blue Crab Benedict, Shrimp and Grits...all sorts of yumminess!)

before sauntering up and down Main Street

Here's a few pics for your viewing enjoyment:

 The Trolley goes from Clearwater Beach to Tarpon Springs

Kenny doing a stellar job holding up that tree

 A $500K Mercedes McLaren

(Kenny took this photo!)

 The view from the Marina

 Two of our favorite eateries:

Casa Tina and Pan Y Vino

 Speaking of Casa Tina....the lovely Tina!

She's manning the lantern making station for the Light and Lantern Festival 

 Aren't the colors in these garlands amazing?

(they go on your head...what are they called?)

 All the lanterns were so gorgeous!

Face Painting Station for the kids

 Sweet Peas Cafe...

I SO covet this building for Stiltskin Studios!

It has a tiny barn out back, too!

 The flowers were blooming EVERYWHERE...

a RIOT of color and fragrance

 Street lamps blinged out with chandelier crystals...

 A cute Inn on Main

And more rich, saturated colors...

feeling very inspired!

From Sweet to Smokin' Hot...

Our motto is usually

"relax, someone will love it"

when it comes to the idea of re-painting a previously completed piece

And typically, we follow our own advice

and allow each piece time to find

the person that loves it

On a whim, we painted this amazing solid cherry

French Provincial suite in a pale Robin's Egg Blue...

It was pretty, but seemed to be lacking the "WOW" factor

It was slated for a re-vamp...and then it sold

(isn't that always the way?)

The buyer asked us to hold it aside while they completed their remodel...

time (months!) passed, and she started to rethink the slightly shabby look

 in favor of something fancier, with no distressing

Normally, this is not something we would do...

but because we secretly wanted to repaint it,

we allowed the client to swap it for another suite

We've been buried under custom work, 

so it was a little paint here, a little paint there

on this set...but finally the nightstands are DONE!

The dresser and mirror are up next...

but here are the nightstands!

 We used Cobalt Blue from The Real Milk Paint Company

(I know, it is NOT Cobalt...it's the PERFECT Turquoise!)

 We've switched from clear wax to burnishing paste...

and to achieve this linen-look,

 we brushed the paste on horizontal, then diagonal to create texture

Lots of dark glaze or wax allows the pattern to really show off!

 We did a moderate amount of distressing to show off both colors,

 as well as the solid cherry wood beneath the paint

We are now head-over-heels crazy about this set...

such a departure from the sweet pale aqua 

It's much more "us" now

Imagine this set in a bedroom with lots of crisp white bedding

and perhaps some coral or hot pink thrown in to the mix...

gorgeous!

You can find these pair (and soon, the dresser and mirror)

in our ETSY shop

Why? Because.

So much work 

(and love)

goes into each of our pieces...

and I don't mean "love" in a cheesy way...

more like appreciation for the piece,

respect for it's history...

that sort of "love"

We had a customer order recently.

Before the client made up her mind,

she told me someone else would paint a similar set for her

for half the price

Which made me realize that the general population

(those that have never worked w furniture or paint before)

probably don't understand how a thrift store dresser

can end up costing nearly $800 or more

Our drawers?

They are spotless.

and I mean SPOTLESS.

We actually strip the inside of the drawers, and then re-stain them

so they arrive fresh and clean, just like new

We strip the majority of our pieces down to bare wood

(always, if the existing finish is latex or in really poor condition)

Ever stripped wood? It ain't pretty, and it ain't quick!

All the drawers are planed if needed, and waxed to ensure they operate smoothly

When using a spray gun

(which we use for lacquered or high gloss finishes)

we tape off the drawers so there is no over-spray

Piece not getting distressed?

Then it gets a base coat to ensure the paint 

stays where it should for years to come

(These gorgeous Widdicomb nightstands are now sporting 

high gloss lacquered white paint and will soon have gorgeous

gilded cherry blossoms...promise we will share once they are done!)

Our reply to the client that wanted pieces for half the cost?

We don't cut corners. We don't work on cheap furniture

 (cheap and inexpensive aren't the same, right?)

We enjoy the craftsmanship evident in a fine piece of vintage or antique furniture

Who wants to put time, energy, and expensive products on to junk?? 

Not us 

Our pieces are meant to be heirlooms...

not disposable junk that will look cute for a few months

before the paint starts to peel off and the drawer glides break!

Are we bragging a bit? Yep. 

But that's just because we're proud of the product we put out into the world

and we want everyone that works as hard as we do to know

they aren't the only ones that  "get it"!  

Go on and get your paint on! 

Michele

Delicate and Lovely...

Between custom orders,

broken toes,

sick kids,

and life...

I haven't had much time to get any new pieces done!

While waiting for paint to dry on two projects,

I was able to work on this charming little table..

Isn't she pretty?

I haven't been really "into" soft colors lately

but something about the delicate, detailed lines

of this table drew me to a soft, paled-down Duck Egg Blue

I skipped the dark glaze, because it tends to turn the blue much more green...

and I love the color just as it is...

a very pale Duck Egg beneath a slightly less pale Duck Egg

with distressing to show off  both colors

as well as all the great carved details

Enjoy your day!

Michele

Milk Paint Favorites

We do LOVE Milk Paint...

Here is a sampling of our favorite colors:

 Black

 Ultra Marine Blue

 White

 Turquoise

 Custom Blended Hot Pink

 Green

 Bright Red

 Gypsy Pink

 Sweetheart

 Sunshine

 Cobalt Blue

Cobalt Blue

We love the versatility of Milk Paint, the vibrancy of the pigments,

the ease of creating our own colors...

If you've never tried Milk Paint, we say GO FOR IT!