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 Country French Vignette

I left for our family vacation on the 29th of June. During the week prior to that Friday, I was running around like the proverbial “chicken without a head” trying to prepare for a week-long absence.

You see, I guess I have a bit of an ego. I like to think Hodgepodge needs me. Upon my return, it was painfully obvious I am superfluous to this operation.

Before I left, I made sure I put the finishing touches on the Chalk Paint™ decorative paint finish I was laboring over for this display case. I then rolled it into place and left notes for Patty to make it look good . . . boy, did she!

Here is the display I found when I walked through the doors Saturday morning . . .

Patty put together a Country French vignette to inspire!   (By the way, is anyone able enlighten me as to why we say “Country French” rather than “French Country?)

From these favorite melamine dinner and sandwich plates, to the soy wax candle, ensconced in a willow holder—the scene oozes French influence.

Our signature mixed-pattern silver plate flatware sets represent the casual elegance you’ll find in countryside of France.

The beverage urn makes it easy to serve your favorite fruit blend beverages. The Moroccan tea glasses, decorated in gold plate represent the “citizen of the world” feel so many Frenchmen/women can claim.

This reproduction ladder shelf represents the French ingenuity for repurposing items into an unexpected use—such as here, when it doubles as a server.

Evidence of my style—our velvet pumpkins can still be found throughout the store. They provide the perfect decorative accent for our transferware dinner plates. Note the bucolic scene as the plate’s décor—a beautiful half-timber home being the focus.

More transferware in brown to contrast the display shelf of our one-of-a-kind piece (a custom design), I’ve painted in Chalk Paint™ in Provence and French Linen. How a propos!

This display of books in a wire basket really caught my eye.

A few items common to a French pantry, a crusty loaf of bread, fresh cream (in the ceramic cow creamer) and eggs from the barn. The covered glass dish is perfect for the cheeses synonymous with the country!

Let’s step back and take another look.

Is your eye drawn to that barley twist lamp? Of course it is! I love the pillar stands constructed from railing balusters. Let’s get a closer look . . .

Oh yeah—still love.

There you have it. Patty is one talented lady and I am redundant.

Here’s hoping this means I can get away for more vacations!

Let me know what you think of the display or if you have any questions.

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!

A Summer Mantel and Table

At Hodgepodge, we pride ourselves on frequently changing our displays and vignettes.  The other day, I decided it was time to change the middle room.  My inspiration—a cool Mediterranean tablecloth and some new cobalt blue hurricanes.

So let’s get started with the mantel.

Phase 1:

Somewhere to start . . .

Phase 2:

The addition of a garden element and the cobalt hurricanes

Phase 3:

More garden elements (the urn, Spanish moss and a bird’s nest).  I moved the large hurricane onto the single book to raise the height compared to the smaller hurricane.

Phase 4:

Addition of the bolster—moved the nest.  Added candles to the hurricanes.

Phase 5:

Final touches—the doily under the short hurricane.  Then a few more items in the statue urn—saracina lilies and some raffia for a casual addition to the nest.

The rest of the vignette was updated with the new tablecloth and setting.

I think this turned-out beautifully!  It is a table I’d be proud to present to my guests.  I’d love to hear your thoughts . . .

but wait, that’s not all!

My favorite addition to this vignette:

 

Check back for more on this lovely moss covered light fixture!

Thanks for your indulgence!

Jump Back and Kiss My Techy-self

Like my new blog banner?  (Say yes, please, otherwise there is no need to read on . . .)
So you do like it?!?  You’re too kind.
I am so challenged when it comes to working with graphics and photo software, it is ridiculous.  If you’re under oh, 40, you may not be able to relate, but I’ll bet there are a lot of my contemporaries who can identify with the glazed appearance of my countenance when someone starts talking “layers” and “magnetic lasso tools.”  I’ve tried Photoshop Elements—which is supposedly the dumbed-down version of Photoshop—but, apparently, I require an even “dumber” version!  It took me four days to create the banner I had on my blog for about two weeks.
(I was going to insert the picture of the now deleted banner, but I can’t even figure that out!)
Suffice to say, my 6 year old niece could have done better!  It had a stock background—three disproportionate photos and something that resembled my logo.  When I was editing my logo, to eliminate the white background, I used the only tool I knew how to operate (“eraser tool”) and it ended up looking as though Cookie Monster had had taken a few good chomps out of it!
Then yesterday, the skies opened up and angels (in the form of Janet Metzger, a fellow Chalk Paint™ decorative paints stockist) began singing about PicMonkey.
I just had to share this new website that just made my life 100x easier.
Right now—it is free, but they hint at a fee in the future, which I will gladly pay (well, within reason—collage making is nice, but there is a limit—even when angels sing!).
Here is a sample of what I just did.  I timed myself, it took me 4 minutes (most of that time was spent trying to find my pictures on the computer).  We’re all excited about our impending family vacation, so I was searching for vacations pics.

So there is the collage I created—straightforward and really cool. There are many, many collage configurations, so plan to play around til you find your favorite. 
Best part, it is saved to my computer!  So, all I had to do is go grab it and do this . . .
Setting timer, now . . .

4 minutes.
again, . . .

2 minutes.
I spent most of the time determining which of their six textures to apply (each of the 6 has a minimum of three variations and you have the ability to increase or decrease the effect).  I chose this one because it reminds of looking through the screened porch.
There are so many fun ways to use it.  First, I made a facebook cover photo collage for my Hodgepodge page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hodgepodge-Where-You-Gather-Your-Home/87993882069
Then, the new blogger banner you see above. 
I will now measure my life “Pre- and Post-PicMonkey.”
Go give it a try. Believe me, if I say this is easy, it is Forrest Gump easy.  My sister, who heretofore has been my “go to” for all things photoshoppy, will attest, if Paige is doing it, you can do it!
http://www.picmonkey.com/
Do me favor, though, if you’ve known about this for a year or more and find yourself laughing hysterically at my ineptitude, please don’t let me know.  Right now I am feeling tragically hip and want the feeling to last!
Thanks for your indulgence!