changes are afoot

there are few things that get me as jazzed about being a shopkeeper as doing a BIG switch-a-roo at the shop.  we have new things rolling into the shop, so my creative juices have been flowing.   it takes  a while to build-up to making such a big change, but once i decide the major pivot points—so to speak—we start the shuffling.  we move the small pieces off of the display furniture, reposition the furniture and start putting it all together again. 

we work the new merchandise into the displays and show new ways to use and display the items we have had for a while.  what better way to show folks that we offer home décor that they will use year ‘round?  i mean, when you decorate for the various seasons you choose to celebrate, you don’t move all of your existing furniture and accessories out of the house—you make additions (along with a few subtractions).

I hope, if you live nearby, you will come in for a “look-see” yourself, but here are a few pictures to show you a few of our changes.

 

I will be posting some detail shots of the inventory and displays later this week, but as I said—I hope you plan to come for a visit soon.

thanks for your indulgence,

A Restful Repose

About three months ago, I purchased this nice, but less than perfect oak bed.  Pieces like this are ideal candidates for my paint brush.  I love painted furniture, but I do not paint pieces I feel have value in their original, untouched state.  You see, I have a fear of one watching the PBS show, Antiques Road Show, when the experts are studying a lovely piece of painted furniture and commenting, “If only it hadn’t been painted, this piece would bring $5,000 at auction, but in it’s current painted state, we have to value it at $200.” 

Consequently, I only want to paint pieces which, otherwise, might be over looked.  This bed, for instance, had made it all the way through the Nashville flea market and was still there on Sunday.  The veneer on the headboard was slightly warped and the footboard had been repaired where it connects to one of the rails, but otherwise it was sturdy and had lots of potential.

 

 

(Will I ever remember to take the “before” pictures in a timely manner?)

When I snagged this piece, I knew right away that I wanted to give it a Country French/French Country makeover, so I would be painting it with Old White and Paris Grey Chalk Paint™ . . . or maybe with French Linen and Louis Blue . . . or maybe . . .

Needless to say, the bed waited and waited for me to decide how to paint it.

It moved from the work area to the storage area.Then, during one of my Chalk Paint™ workshops, I had an epiphany!

Back story:  Travis (my workshop assistant extraordinaire) and I are constantly amazed by the way all of the colors of Chalk Paint™ work together. During our workshops we pull-out all 30 colors and use them in various combinations.  In this process, we have yet to place one color next to another and say, “Ooh, yuck!” Usually, it’s more like, “That is amazing—look at how nice that looks together!” (Then we set about looking for a piece to paint in that newly discovered paint combination!)

Okay, so you’ve peaked already and know that I didn’t use Paris Grey or Louis Blue.  No—my epiphany involved Old Violet, so that is what I chose for my base coat.  I then intended to add Paris Grey and Old White.  I knew I would distress it and, more than likely, I’d finish it with dark wax.

 

So there it is, ready for the next step . . .

Here’s where I changed my mind again!

I decided I wanted the overall look to be muted and thought the Paris Grey would be a little crisp looking.  I finally settled on painting the inset panels with French Linen, then topped with Country Grey.  I used a wet cloth to spread and blend the two colors.

I then added a stenciled motif in the center of the headboard using the French Linen again.  I applied it very lightly—wanting it to be very subtle.

 

I then applied the clear wax to the entire piece and commenced to sanding!

 

After reapplying the clear wax, I applied a light coating of dark wax and called it done.

Here’s what it looks like now:

If you take a close look at the footboard, you can see I did a lot of sanding on the inside—where I figured it would naturally have a lot of wear.

The same is true of the headboard—years of propping-up in bed to read, would cause the finish to wear-away. 

And one more photo of this beauty. 

I am very pleased with the results and once again amazed by the way all of these colors work so well together.  In fact, if you’ve used Chalk Paint™ decorative paints, I’d love to hear about your favorite color combinations.

I will be linking to  Vintage Inspired Fridays, I hope you visit and take some time to check-out some of the other links there.

Thanks for your indulgence,

Teach the World to Sing

The other day, a friend/customer (same thing, right?) told me she was looking for a globe. The next day, I happened into Miss Lucille’s Marketplace and found one. I wasn’t completely sure what type of globe she wanted, but this was a great deal I found in one of the booths of a wonderful Chalk Paint™ fan, so I thought, if she doesn’t want it, I am sure I can do something with it! So , it came back to the shop with me (along with a large silver plate pitcher, which actually went to my house . . .).
As it turns out, my friends was looking for something that had an “old world” look to it—which I naturally understand. So I had a globe to use for a project!
My first thought was to “age” it with some stain, then I thought about the ideas Patty had recently shared with me. My little hamster started spinning on his wheel and, a few minutes later, I had an actual creative thought!
That’s when I grabbed the Mod Podge®, a vintage book of music and a paint brush.

(The lighting on my work bench makes my photos look like I am working on a science fair project . . . “the rotation of the earth in relation to the sun”)



By far, one of the easiest project EVER! I still may add the words, “Teach the World to Sing” and paint the base, but I’ve already taken too long to follow-up on the project teaser I posted on Facebook the other day.
Funny thing is, though, I just saw a Pinterest post about adding glitter to Mod Podge®, which would have been a great “layer” for this project, eh? Going to have to find something else to Glitter Podge soon!
Do you have a favorite Mod Podge^® project?
I’m going to link to Vintage Inspiration Friday, because I love it!

Be sure to visit—you will love it, too!
Thanks for your indulgence,

A Vintage Inspired Cupboard

A few days ago I posted about the amazing Country French vignette Patty arranged in my absence.  Today, I want to focus on cupboard that started the whole thing.

A while back, I asked my friend Jeff (the guy that makes all of my custom furniture for the shop) to make this:

I gave him two salvaged windows I had been saving for the right project and, about a month later, he called me to tell me it was ready for pick-up.

Now, I had started this whole process (from inception) last fall. When I picked-up the piece, the backroom at the shop was consumed by Christmas, so we unloaded it at the house, where if stood on our back porch (aka—my creative space) for months, awaiting the verdict of my paint color choice.

 

(Naturally, I failed to take the before shot, so here it is after the painting process had begun.)

When I finally decided on colors, I used my old standby, latex paint.  Shortly thereafter, I purchased my first cans of Chalk Paint™ decorative paints and decided to add a coat of French Linen to the exterior and Provence to the interior.  LOVED!

It then began the s----l----o----w move to the shop. 

It hung-out in our dining room so long I had to fight the urge to start filling with vintage dishes.  It then rolled to the front hall—the casters, at the risk of sounding a little self-inflated, pure genius!   Finally, the stars aligned and my husband and son loaded it for the three-city-blocks trip to the shop.

There, we rolled in in and out of the shop (with the opening and closing) for a few days while I contemplated the white paint of the vintage windows.  It looked too graphic, but I didn’t want to cover it completely.  I decided to use the French Linen Chalk Paint™ to make a wash.

 

I followed with Soft Wax in clear and a little sanding on the entire surface.  I then used the Soft Wax in dark, hitting the new wood (pine) with more, so it looked like a darker wood. 

A final wipe down to remove any excess wax and  I had this . . .

I am very pleased with it.  I love display cabinets, but I often think things look too “off limits” behind glass.  That’s why I added the open display shelf at the top.  I think it looks like a custom made “built in” piece of furniture.  The vintage windows made this piece look old, but the display shelf is the “crowning touch!”  (So punny!)

I hope you enjoyed this vintage inspiration . . . for more, please visit Debra and a couple hundred of her closest friends for:

 

You will be glad you did!

Thanks for your indulgence!

a mossy recreation

Yesterday, I posted about a new “room” at Hodgepodge.  Part of the décor we added is this cool new chandelier:

And I promised a little more information about so here we go . . .

It all started when Patty came across a picture of a display in one of our numerous magazines.  (We were trying to remember where we had seen it, but couldn’t come-up with anything definitive—it was about a year ago that she found it.)  She showed me the idea and I swear I went looking for a candidate chandelier that very day!

I found the vintage fixture pictured below that very day, but didn’t create the moss covered beauty you see above until yesterday!

Here’s how I started:

1.  First, I fired-up the glue gun.  While that was warming, I started tearing sheet moss into strips.

2.  Then I started gluing—carefully!  The moss isn’t much of a heat barrier between the hot glue and your fingers.

3.  I decided not to do the inside of the fixture—it would have lost some of it’s definition.  I did do the ceiling cap, though.

4.  The finished mossy chandelier!

5.  Here you can see a shot of the ceiling cap—the finishing touch it needed!

I have not tried to light the fixture—the wiring appears fine.  I feel some very low wattage bulbs might be fine, but I would have to hook a wired extension to it.  For now, we’re enjoying it as is.  I just love the earthy presence it offers hanging there.  I may add a burlap sleeve over the chain, but again, I was in a hurry to get it hung so I could share it with you.

Below, is one more addition to the room we redesigned yesterday.  I found this vintage Woodpecker print by Basil Ede at a flea market sometime ago.  It is difficult for me to pass-up bird prints, but this is a large one and I love it.  It is clear, with no stains or other damage.  I had my picture framer daughter clean it and cut new mats, but we reinstalled it in it’s original frame.  I am thrilled with it.  I’ve propped it inside the opening of the mantel.

I hope you enjoyed this post.  Please leave any comments or suggestions you may have about lighting my chandelier.

Thanks for your indulgence!

I’m linking to Vintage Inspired Friday at Common Ground.  Please go visit!